


Lovesick Club

by ioeides_solstice



Category: ATEEZ (Band), Atiny, Moments of Alwaysness - Fandom, TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Brutal, Character Death, Choi San is Whipped, Choi Soobin Is Bad At Feelings, Confused Choi Yeonjun, Curse Breaking, Fairies, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Goddesses, Gods, Historical References, I'm, Immortality, Killing, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Prince Jung Wooyoung, Punishment, Rape Recovery, Reincarnation, SO, Sad Choi Yeonjun, TaehyunandYeosangaretwins, Trauma, Yeonjun - Freeform, and, angsty, is - Freeform, seonghwabystander, sorry - Freeform, this, yeonjunistraumatizedaf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28019640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ioeides_solstice/pseuds/ioeides_solstice
Summary: In which Choi Yeonjun—a cursed soul—is forced to solve the heartbreaks of 100,000 people for the sins he committed.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Yeonjun, Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Choi Yeonjun/Jung Wooyoung, Choi Yeonjun/Seo Changbin, Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Jung Wooyoung/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 16
Kudos: 31





	1. The tale of Yeonjun's curse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Calyxir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calyxir/gifts).



It was about many millions of years ago, when the Gods and Goddesses ruled over the ruins of earth. The Gods were mighty, no one could ever out power them, nor did the humans ever think of doing so. They gave the people possibly everything they ever wished for, but the Gods were awfully biased, since they only gave the needs to those who were privileged, leaving the lowlifes to be born with lives full of misery and extreme poverty.

It was rather unfortunate for the lowlifes. Men were forced to work in slavery, day and night they would create swords for the soldiers of the kingdom. And as for women, they were often sold as prostitutes and sometimes offerings to the Gods up above.

But one day, a certain someone had enough of it. He was known as Yeongi, a lowlife born with the courage of a soldier and with wisdom like no other. He was brave and ferocious, made the best swords that anyone could possibly create.

And so he took his handmade sword, the strongest one he's ever built, and made his way to seek the Gods. All he wanted was one thing only—and that was to give the lowlifes the justice and rights that they deserved. Because as a lowlife himself, his people deserved more than the task of making swords, bread as their only source of food, and people being slaved to death. He simply wanted change, and with that mindset, he went along with his journey and hoped that the Gods would empathize with him.

But the Gods weren't exactly what you would address as people with empathy. The Gods? Their hearts were as cold as winter, and by the time Yeongi arrived to the place where the Gods lay and spoke about his desires for change, laughter was the only thing that was given to him.

"A lowlife? Begging for justice and change? How absolutely flabbergasting." One of the Gods scoffed in mockery, flashing the courageous Yeongi a disgusted look.

"Please, I beg you. My people deserve to be treated better. We are all humans, how are we any different from the people who are privileged?" Yeongi reasoned, almost like a cry for mercy. He dropped down to his knees and hung his head down low. 

"Money and power is the difference. You, lowlifes—simply weren't born with that, so live with it." Yeongi rose his head, only to see the Gods looking down upon him, treating him like he was a disappointment since most lowlifes are mostly viewed from that perspective. It was nothing new but it infuriated him the more those actions were implemented on him and his people.

"That is not a valid excuse towards your treatment to my people. It is unacceptable and unjust, we cannot just live with it. This has been going on for centuries, do you expect us to suffer like this for eternity?" The warrior pleaded with so much desperation in his voice "Please put some consideration to it. I am not leaving here unless my creed will be heard."

"Just leave, you pesky human. Whatever methods you try, no matter how much you try to be heard, you will never be heard."

"Gods like you do not deserve your place on the throne. How dare you keep your eyes and ears shut to the needs of your people? You are the disgraces, you disappoint me." Yeongi stood up, no sign of fear was visible in his expression. Slowly, he tightened his grip on his sword as he faced the Gods, fully expecting to feel their wrath.

"What did you say, you nasty peasant?" The Gods growled with so much venom in their tone.

"You heard me loud and clear, mighty ones. I, no... we—we lowlifes are disappointed with you." And there was no hint of regret nor fright in the way he spoke "We lowlifes are not afraid to stand up against what we think is right."

"If that is what you think, then I don't your neck is the worthy spot of where your head should be."

The courageous warrior found himself fighting the most vicious soldiers of the God's Kingdom. It didn't take him long to find his sword covered in blood, but he was way too outnumbered, it was physically impossible to defeat over 300 armored men with just one sword.

But then again, Yeongi was no ordinary man, nor was he just a mere lowlife. He was beyond that. He was destined to fight, to stand up for his people. And it didn't matter how many people he had to kill to do so.

Once his sword was finally filled with the blood of 300 men, he set off to the forest, using whatever energy he had left to run as far as he could.

And when he had finally reached his limit, his body succumbed to the feeling of exhaustion as darkness swallowed his whole vision.

As soon as he fluttered his eyes open, Yeongi found himself in the presence of the most bewitching woman he had ever laid eyes on. She was beyond the term beautiful, she was magnificent, the definition and a true embodiment of a Goddess. Yeongi swore his heart was close to jumping out of his chest.

"I see you are finally awake." The woman spoke tenderly as he caressed his face with a wet towel "I found you in the woods, you were in bad shape. I had no choice but to take you in as I feared that the wolves would feast upon your body."

Yeongi sat up, despite his wounded state. He faced the young woman and gave her a genuine smile "Thank you, is there any way for me to express my gratitude?"

"Perhaps there is one way."

And that was when a Goddess and a human made love, despite knowing the troubles it may cause. It was heated, feisty, and rather quick. But to them, every single second of it was worthwhile. Or so they thought.

Their moments of happiness and pure bliss were bound to fade away as they were forced to face the bitter karma of their relentless actions.

"How dare a Goddess and a mere human make love? This is absolute blasphemy!" Thunders began to roar across the kingdom, signaling the God's anger "Junhee, I thought you were better than this? How could my own sister disobey the laws of our kind?"

"Brother, I sincerely apologize." Junhee spoke, not even having the courage to face her own sibling. She quivered in fear as the sound of his brother's footsteps approaching her slowly came closer towards her. It reached to the point in which he could feel his brother's breath blowing through her pale skin.

"I will forgive you. You are my sister after all." Her brother whispered in her ear "But of course, you have to pay a price."

"W-What price?" Yeonji questioned, her trembling eyes making its way to face his brother's.

"The soul of the child hidden within your womb shall forever be cursed. That child of yours will be forced to live miserably, one life after another." Her brother announced, and it was clear that he had no doubts about it.

Yeonji broke down in tears "N-No, brother, anything but that. Please spare me, this child in my womb is your nephew, how can you possibly be this merciless?"

"Sorry, but it has to be done." And the spell was cast, it was too late for her to protest. Her child was already given a cruel fate, and it was all because of her carelessness and inability to avoid temptation.

And the life of the child in her womb ended before she could even give birth to it. She failed to protect her child, and that drove her beyond crazy. She sobbed until there were no more tears for her left to cry and she bled until there was no longer any more blood for her to lose.

And that's how a Goddess bled to her death, as she could not bear to even witness her own child to live such a miserable life in front of her eyes. She thought it would be slightly better in her case, but it made her feel selfish.

The guilt was too much, it was swallowing her whole, haunting her every night and day until she couldn't handle it any longer.

"I'm sorry my child, you deserve more than a mother like me." There, she took her last breath, putting her worried heart to rest.

\--

IN THE YEAR 1520

In a cottage hidden within the forests of Luscrus Village, there lived a young boy who was given the name Yeonjun. He lived in the woods ever since his childhood, and he had no one to take care of him besides himself. But despite the downsides of his life, he was quite known in his village as a ray of sunshine, making everyone across him feel carefree, as if their troubles suddenly disappeared.

Speaking of problems, it was also one thing Yeonjun was quite well-known for. Rumor has been going around the city that the young boy was believed to be the lost and cursed soul of Goddess Junhee and The Courageous Yeongi's son. It made sense since the boy could surprisingly solve every single complicated love problem that couples across the city would have. Heck, he even stopped couples from divorcing each other and made those who fell out of love—fall in love once again.

But whenever people told the young boy about that prophecy, the boy would only snicker out a laugh and tell them it was too impossible for a mere lowlife to be the outcome of a ferocious warrior and one of the most beautiful Goddesses to have ever exist.

And people told him "The Courageous Yeongi lived as a lowlife, yet he possessed some of the mighty qualities that one could ever acquire."

But he never believed any single bit of it, for Fables and Myths were not the kind of things that would capture his interest. It flattered the young boy's heart whenever people said those words of praise and amazement towards him, but something within him felt like he was not worthy of such compliments.

After all, he was just a mere lowlife who lived miserably in the woods. And besides the ability to magically solve other people's problems, he was anything but special.

Until one day, when he was told that the King was looking for his service, for the first time in forever, he entered the palace grounds that made him feel like royalty, but of course, he told himself to remember his place.

"You summoned me, sire?" Yeonjun bowed politely towards the mighty ruler of their kingdom.

"Yes. I was told that you acquire the skill of solving certain problems that revolve around romance, am I correct?" The King arched a brow as he faced the young boy standing in front of him.

Yeonjun bowed once again, agreeing to his statement "You are correct, sire."

"Please, take a seat." Yeonjun quickly obeyed and occupied one of the seats that was displayed before the King's golden table "You see, I have a problem."

"Yes sir, tell me about it. Take your time if you wish." Yeonjun told the King, who then gave him a nod as a response to his words.

"My wife and I seem to be falling out of love. Every night feels torturous, we always argue and meddle about the smallest things, and I'm afraid it might take a toll on our son. I hope that with your guidance, you will be able to help me." The King confessed, and once Yeonjun saw the look in his eyes, he immediately sensed that the King was quite troubled with his problem, only then can he be assured that he should solve the given problem to him.

"I will do whatever it takes to solve your troubles, sire."

Hence that day forth, Yeonjun was told to be summoned in the castle grounds. He gave the King certain advice and tips on how to treat his wife better, especially those that were highly effective to the other couples that he was formerly involved with. For a short period of time, Yeonjun became the King's personal assistant and therapist.

And it is known that the King has a son, right? Of course, it would have been inevitable for the young boy to be in the presence of the prince considering the fact that he goes to the castle almost daily.

And as soon as the prince saw the breathtaking features and spectacular qualities of the young boy, he was bound to fall in love. The infatuated prince had his eyes, ears, and as well as his heart all focused on the young boy only. And it took him a lot of guts and courage to be able to go and approach him.

Beneath the moonlit sky was where the prince stood, waiting for a certain somebody to leave the castle doors. He heard a few faint footsteps, and there he found the one he has been waiting for.

"Hello." The prince greeted, making the young boy flinch out of shock upon seeing the prince near him.

Instinctively, the young boy bowed "H-Hello, Prince Wooyoung."


	2. Two boys in love

"W-What brings you here, Prince Wooyoung?" Yeonjun questioned rather shakily due to the presence of the prince. He felt sort of intimidated for some unknown reason, or probably because of the fact that the prince's presence made him feel a little bit of butterflies that he wasn't supposed to feel.

"Hello. I do not wish to interrupt, but I assume you are making your way home right now?" The prince queried with a curious smile.

"Yes, I am. Before I set off to go home, may I be of any assistance to you?" The young boy faced the prince.

"I don't need anything in particular. I was wondering if I can be of any assistance to you." Said the prince, and the young boy was obviously flabbergasted by his request.

"Why...would a prince like you care to assist a lowlife like me?"

"Because I care," The prince answered sincerely, looking deeply into the young boy's eyes, "I care about you, more than what you'd expect."

Heat rose into the young boy's cheeks, making him temporarily lose the ability to utter a single word. He was clearly in a state of shock upon hearing the Prince's statement. His soothing tone made him feel like he was genuinely taken care of, that a person actually gave him a hint of empathy, and out of all the people within the kingdom, it was the Prince.

"I-I do not need anything, but thank you for the kind offer. I must be going now." And so he set off, but before he could even escape the castle doors, fingers began wrapping themselves on his wrist and oh-so forcefully turned him around only to be faced with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, much prettier than the stars.

Or could it be that Prince Wooyoung was the most beautiful star himself?

Yeonjun found himself drowning in the galaxy hidden within the Prince's eyes, and Wooyoung swore he lost his breath once his eyes landed upon Yeonjun's undeniably attractive features.

"Please...allow me to escort you home, Yeonjun." Wooyoung insisted desperately. It was as if he was looking for an excuse to be with the young boy instead of his desire to help him. Well, there was no lie in that because Wooyoung was really interested in the boy and longed to be someone to him other than just a highly prince who wears a smile to satisfy his people.

Rather than that, he wanted to show his brightest smile to Yeonjun, he wanted to be happy with Yeonjun or possibly the other way around. Whenever he saw Yeonjun, he just felt this weird gut feeling that his purpose was in the hands of Yeonjun and him only.

"I'd rather wish that you wouldn't, my Prince." Yeonjun declined, removing his wrist from the grasp of Wooyoung's fingers "I-I live in a little cottage in the woods. I don't think the forests are the kind of environment that I should be bringing you into. Also, you are not allowed to leave the castle grounds unless with your father's permission, he might cut off my head if I let you do so."

"I would never let that happen to you. I promise we will be safe and that I won't ever get caught. Trust me, okay?" Wooyoung's eyes sparkled with truth and sincerity. Yeonjun could only huff a sigh in defeat and allowed the prince to come along with him, though he wasn't quite sure of the Prince's intentions of doing so.

It didn't take them long to arrive in the woods. Rather than getting scared, Wooyoung was extremely surprised by the beauty of the moonlit trees and the peaceful surroundings, unlike what the castle was. It gave him a sense of comfort, and as he looked up, he was enthralled by the beauty of the stars.

"The stars are beautiful aren't they, my prince?" Yeonjun stood beside him, admiring with a smile plastered on his lips.

"I like it when you call me yours." Wooyoung blurted out and found himself chuckling because of Yeonjun's priceless reaction.

"W-What do you mean by that?" Yeonjun stuttered. He was thankful that the skies were dark, making his red cheeks less visible to Wooyoung's eyes.

"Oh, nothing." Wooyoung smiled cheekily, pretending that he was unaware of Yeonjun's flustered state.

"W-Well, I personally think that you should go back to the castle. It won't take them long to find that your presence is missing, my prince." Yeonjun told the Prince, who could only chortle lightly and nod as an answer.

"As you wish, my Yeonjun." Wooyoung replied "I shall be going now, see you tomorrow."

Yeonjun watched as Wooyoung walked away, further and further until he could no longer see his dashing figure, and that was a sign for him to go and run inside his cottage, questioning his existence and Prince Wooyoung's heart-fluttering actions.

\--

Ever since that day, Wooyoung has grown an unexpected habit of escorting Yeonjun to his little cottage once the sun falls. They would talk to each other about their daily problems, ask questions, and enjoy each other's presence as they would gaze upon the stars and also the moon, if it wished to show itself in front of the perfect two.

And this night was no different than any other night that they have spent with each other. They laid down on a rather uncomfortable picnic blanket as they bathed themselves with the moon's soothing light.

"My prince, what do you think the stars are doing right now? Are they watching us? Or are they asleep?" It was a random question that had been roaming around Yeonjun's mind almost every day, so he thought now would be the perfect moment to ask that question.

"For me, I think that they're watching us right now." Wooyoung answered, then moving his body to Yeonjun's direction, facing him with a smile "Do you want to know something, my Yeonjun?"

Yeonjun raised a brow as he responded "What would that be, my prince?"

"We're just like the stars. We don't allow ourselves to be shown when it's day, but when it's night, that's when we shine the brightest." Wooyoung answered, reaching out to hold Yeonjun's hand, interlocking their fingers as they faced each other with so much love.

"But I am not the star that you are bound to be with, Woo." Yeonjun admitted with a bittersweet smile "This love of ours is a sin, my prince."

"I don't care if I have to commit a thousand sins. If that's what I have to do in order to live a happy life with you, then I'd be willing to do it. I love you so much, Yeonjun." Wooyoung moved himself closer to Yeonjun, their breaths touching each other's skin. And at the moment their lips almost touched, they were interrupted by the presence of armed guards and—

The King himself.

Wooyoung stood up in a panicked manner "F-Father, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, son." Anger was audibly heard in his Father's tone, almost making him quiver in fear "Tell me that I did not find my son almost kissing a boy, my assistant out of all people. You are well aware of the laws of our kingdom, my son, and falling in love with people with the same gender are included in those laws, son."

"But father—" Before Wooyoung could even properly protest, his father rudely interrupted him.

"Guards, bring my son back to the castle at once." With that being said, the guards quickly rushed to Wooyoung and proceeded to drag him out of the forest. No matter how much he tried to resist, the armed guards were way more stronger than him.

"Yeonjun, shall we talk?" The said boy swallowed a huge lump in his throat, approaching the king with slow yet surely steps.

"Y-Yes, my king?" Yeonjun questioned, his head hung low.

The King stared at him with eagle eyes, ones that were burning with fury "From this day forth, you are dismissed as my personal assistant."

"Understood, my king." Yeonjun replied, biting his lip to prevent any tears from falling.

"One more thing, if I were to see you anywhere near the Prince, I will not hesitate to execute you in front of his eyes. You are well aware of the cruel laws in this kingdom, it is best if you follow them if you wish to live." Once the King shoved those words towards Yeonjun rather heartlessly, he took his leave.

There, Yeonjun found himself in his knees, trembling "Why? Why does it have to be like this?"

But Yeonjun knew one thing. He was most willingly to risk his entire being just to be able to see his beloved one last time.


	3. Uncertainties and Romance

Wooyoung sat, all alone in his spacious room that was decorated with all sorts of furniture, but none of them never even held a certain meaning to the young prince. He looked outside his window, a frown formed upon his lips as his eyes wandered around the scenery that was bestowed in front of him, and he continued watching, hoping that doing so would fill the empty void that had formed itself within his heart.

Now that he was no longer in the arms of his lover, nor would he ever get the chance to do so for the last time, he felt inexpicably lonely, like a part of him was missing. He badly missed his Yeonjun, the one whom he would secretly stare at when he would roam across the castle. The one whom he'd spend his nights with, looking upon the stars, questioning their existence and purpose in this world.

How he'd look at Yeonjun, and breathlessly, he would whisper to himself about how perfect Yeonjun appeared in his eyes whenever the moon's fluorescent glow would shine upon his face, cuddling his features beautifully. He missed the feeling of his warm and delicate hand that he would once hold once they'd run away from the castle. He missed the times when they were carefree, when no one knew about their relationship and loved each other like the couple that they were destined to be. Like soulmates who were meant to be together, meant to love each other, meant to be in the other's presence because the world gave them that fate, the chance to be with that person you truly love.

But in a world like this, how could they possibly be together? How could they possibly love each other when the world refused them to do so? Where everyone and everything around them were against of the love that they had for one another? It all seemed too impossible, and the thought of it broke Wooyoung's heart.

The thought of not being able to be with Yeonjun tore him apart, like a miserable sheet of paper that was mercilessly shredded to pieces, and the remains of his broken heart, scattered away like the wind. But, a small part of it wanted to find its way back to go back, to forget that it ever got broken in the first place, and willingly, he would give his heart again to Yeonjun. Because for Wooyoung, Yeonjun is the only one who could ever capture or even keep his heart.

Yeonjun was the only one for him. But sometimes, he found himself asking if Yeonjun is the one he's destined to be with. He could never tell and he probably would never know.

Well, if Yeonjun wasn't the one that the world chose him to be destined with, then he'll convince the world that Yeonjun belonged to him, that was what the Prince told himself. With those thoughts occupying his head, it fueled his determination to convince his father that the laws of his country will never stop him from loving the person he wants to love.

"Son, we've had this discussion for the nth time. You are not obliged to love a boy, and I will never permit you to do so. Stop being selfish, I am doing this for your sake and for the fate of our Kingdom." His father said sternly, facing the young prince with a deadpanned expression, showing that there is no way for the desperate prince to change his mind.

"For my sake? For the kingdom? If Yeonjun isn't the one who will be sitting next to me on my throne when you give the crown to me, then I don't want it. I don't want to be forced to rule a Kingdom when the love of my life won't be there next to me to rule with me." Wooyoung retorted back, fists clenched as he too, faced his father as his glistening orbs were fuming with desperation.

"That's it. I have had enough. From this moment forth, I will start inviting princesses to the Kingdom, you'll need a wife in order to remove that sickening servant boy away from your thoughts." With that being said, Wooyoung dug his nails deeper within his palm, feeling even more infuriated with his father's suggestion.

"Father—" Wooyoung was about to complain, but his father was quick to cut his word.

"No excuses, the decision is final. You will find yourself a wife, and you will rule this kingdom with a queen, understood?" Those were the last words Wooyoung's father told him before making his exit, leaving his son with the most unbearable emotions one could ever feel, clutching the hem of his shirt, wishing for the throbbing pain within his chest to disappear.

\--

Alas, it was another lonely night for Prince Wooyoung. Ever since his recent conversation with the one he calls his father, his will to live plummeted all the way to the ground, buried beneath the soil. Being buried 6ft deep away from the world might be more comfortable than hopelessly laying down his bed as the world slowly separates him further away from the one person whom he loved so dearly.

He found himself longing for his Yeonjun's presence again, thoughts of being with Yeonjun began clouding his unstable mind. Until a little voice interrupted him.

"Over here." He moved his head to where the voice came from. The prince began getting jumpy with excitement as he saw who was the person calling him from his window "Would you kindly help me, my prince? I just climbed a tree, I don't want to fall."

"Don't worry, I'll catch you." Without any hesitation, he reached out to his lover and lent him a helping hand, squeezing and holding it with all his might, never wanting to let go of the warm feeling that the hand of his lover gave him.

Prince Wooyoung didn't waste a single second pulling Yeonjun into his embrace, burying his face into the crook of Yeonjun's neck, inhaling the addictive scent that he missed, nuzzling himself in the presence of the person he has been longing to be with for a decent amount of time.

Yeonjun smiled, brushing the hair of his beloved prince with his own fingers, petting him with care as he, too, enjoyed the presence of being with the person whom his heart beats for.

Slowly, Wooyoung moved away from the younger's crook, taking his chance to stare at Yeonjun's eyes that beamed with love, pulling him even closer, just to see those little sparkles hidden within Yeonjun's luminous eyes. 

"Oh, I've been longing for your presence, my Yeonjun." Wooyoung breathed, confessing his inner feelings to the person within his embrace in a soft yet gentle whisper.

"I could say the same thing, my Prince." Yeonjun replied, tapping the nose of his lover as his lips curved to form a smile, "I must've been too desperate, considering the fact that I climbed a tree just to get a single glance of your face. I couldn't bear spending the night without you, so here I am."

"I'm sorry for the trouble, you don't deserve any of this. You deserve to be covered in kisses, to be in someone's arms that hold you with security, to be with someone who's meant to protect you from the dangers of this world. Someone who is not me." Wooyoung quietly whispered the last part, but because of how close they were, Yeonjun could audibly hear his words.

"No—don't say that. You are the only one for me, Jung Wooyoung." Yeonjun said, emphasizing the 'you' part with so much sincerity "I didn't risk my life so that you could say those words to me, my prince. I came here to feel loved, so make me feel that way."

Wooyoung chuckled "If that's what you wish, then I won't hesitate to grant it."

The prince cupped the face of his lover, staring at his glistening eyes until his gaze averted onto the younger's plump lips, ones that were waiting for his lips to smash onto it, and that was exactly what he did. He kissed him, he kissed Yeonjun with all the love he could possibly give.

Their lips began to dance, moving in sync as they danced along to the silent melody of the wind blowing across the room, making them shiver, yet they forgot about that feeling as they were too indulged with each other's warmth that hugged their bodies like a soft blanket.

Yeonjun's arms made its way to Wooyoung's neck, pulling himself closer to Wooyoung, who scooped up Yeonjun with so much ease, holding his waist as Yeonjun wrapped his legs around the prince's hips. Wooyoung then made his way to the bed, pinning Yeonjun onto the soft mattress without breaking the kiss that they shared, it was truly a bewildering skill that Wooyoung had discovered for the first time.

Soon enough, their tongues got involved. They fought for dominance whilst tasting each other's flavor. It was quite the battle, but Yeonjun lost, making Wooyoung smirk in victory as he continued to suck Yeonjun's tongue and also the life out of him.

Due to lack of air, they pulled their lips away from each other, shoving in the air into their lungs as they prepared themselves for another kiss, one that displayed how much they've longed for each other, how much they needed each other, and how much they loved one another. Wooyoung moved his lips away from Yeonjun's swollen ones, making his way to Yeonjun's neck at a leisurely pace. He then began giving him small smooches in the neck, until they became rather aggressive, little shades of purple began forming themselves onto Yeonjun's neck, making the said boy let out sounds of pleasure, as he could no longer contain the addictive feeling of Wooyoung's lips.

"Shhh baby, lower your volume. You wouldn't want anyone to hear us, wouldn't you?" Wooyoung whispered lovingly, his hot breath tickling Yeonjun, making him release a tiny giggle.

"Of course not. I'll tone it down." And so, they continued their make out session, not minding about anything else but them.

Completely unaware of another set of eyes that were looking at them with utter shock.


	4. Fears turned to Reality

It was another starry night. Wooyoung laid down his bed, the soft mattress comforting his back as he tilted his chin upwards and let out a sigh that he had been wanting to release for some time now. The atmosphere felt cold and lonely once again as he wore a forlorn expression on his face.

Another night of missing Yeonjun. Another day of imagining his lover sleeping beside his arms, thinking about what it would feel like to be in his embrace once again, to be able to feel the love and warmth that he always wanted from him. Every single part of him had the urge to stomp out of his room and seek solace in the arms of his lover. But no, he can't do that.

Why? Because he's scared. He's scared of what will happen once his parents find out again. He's afraid to know what will happen if he takes another risk again, to know that they might do something to the person he loves the most when all that person did was love him and give him everything he ever wanted and make him feel all kinds of emotions that only some people can feel.

At the same time, it scared him to even think about the thought of his parents being disappointed in him. To imagine how much they would despise their son for loving a pathetic, useless, and irrelevant servant boy instead of a lovely princess who would wear her pretty tiara and flawlessly execute actions that would define her as one. To know that their conservative son was dating someone behind their own back, who was the same gender as he, and absolutely held no title within society, nor did he have any riches to make him worthy of taking the prince's hand in marriage.

Wooyoung found himself asking all of these confusing questions. Why do people care so much about whom I love? Why do I have to keep hiding from them? And How much do I want to risk in order to finally claim Yeonjun as mine? How willing am I to risk everything for Yeonjun?

The truth is, he didn't know either. Wooyoung didn't know whether he should risk all of these just for one person. Yes, Wooyoung loved Yeonjun, but did he really? Well, if he really loved him, then maybe he wouldn't be hesitating about wanting to risk anything. Because when it comes to love, you're always ready to risk everything. And that was the problem, Wooyoung didn't want to risk anything, and that caused trouble within his consciousness, causing unwanted emotions to creep up and eat him up alive.

But at the split-second Wooyoung saw the face of his lover, it was like those mind-eating thoughts never even bothered him. It was like every conflicting emotion he felt were dust blown away by the wind as if they never existed. Being with Yeonjun made him feel like the world was all butterflies, blue skies, and just happy in general. But somehow, the guilt would always find its way back to him and make his thoughts unstable.

Wooyoung helped his lover make his way inside his bedroom, safely catching him bridal-style, then place him down the soft mattress of his bed.

Their faces were awfully close, and it honestly made Wooyoung a little shy. But he figured that now didn't seem like the right time to attack Yeonjun's lips, so he just moved himself away from him and sit back up.

"Good evening, my prince." Yeonjun greeted kindly with a warm smile in his face.

"Good evening to you as well, my love." Wooyoung greeted back with a smile.

It was always like this every night, he would see Yeonjun's face, his lips would automatically form into a smile, and then at the back of his head, he would find himself wondering if he even had the right to smile in front of Yeonjun's face.

Even with all the doubts and uncertainties, he would still find himself doing all of those things. He still found himself loving Yeonjun with all he had, but a small part of him would ask if he was doing the right thing. At this point, Wooyoung found himself doubting if everything he did for Yeonjun was even right at all. It was starting to feel so wrong, and the fact that he felt that way made him terrified.

Now Wooyoung didn't have the strength to look at Yeonjun in the eye. And of course, Yeonjun noticed and averted his attention towards his distressed lover. His fingers crawled its way onto Wooyoung's hand, slowly intertwining it with his as he looked at Wooyoung with a concerned gaze.

"What's wrong, my prince? You seem troubled." Yeonjun questioned innocently towards Wooyoung.

"It's nothing concerning, just a few thoughts came to mind." Wooyoung answered casually, trying to hide the melancholic tone that was close to coming out of his mouth.

"And what might those thoughts be? it seems like a huge problem judging by the look in your eyes. You can't hide anything from me, my prince." Yeonjun said, placing a slight tap on Wooyoung's nose, eyes focused on Wooyoung's glossy ones.

"But what if I want to hide it from you?" Wooyoung asked and immediately bit his lip, slowly regretting saying those words "If I tell you about it, you might get... hurt."

"It's okay, you can tell me," Yeonjun said, forcing his lips to form a smile in order to give Wooyoung a little bit of confirmation that he was okay with it, though a small part of him wasn't "I don't mind getting hurt if it's you."

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you." Wooyoung made a pouty face, making Yeonjun chuckle lightly.

"Yes, I'm sure. There's nothing to be worried about." Yeonjun assured Wooyoung, circling his thumb around Wooyoung's sweaty palm as a way of assuring him.

"It's just—" Wooyoung paused, inhaling a sharp breath as he prepared himself to utter out the next part of his sentence "This feels wrong, everything feels wrong. I don't know why I'm feeling this way and I hate it. I'm so sorry, my love."

Yeonjun sighed, slightly hurt by those words, but he didn't let it bother him. Instead, he said "Some things don't need to feel right in order for them to be right."

Wooyoung felt a little bit uplifted by Yeonjun's words, but it wasn't enough to get rid of the heavy chains that were encircling themselves around him. 

"You're right, as always." Said Wooyoung as he wrapped his arms around Yeonjun's waist, pulling him closer, once again absorbing himself wholly onto Yeonjun's mere presence that made him go crazy "Saying I love you would be a little too plain, wouldn't it?"

Yeonjun could only let out a breathy laugh upon hearing Wooyoung whisper those words near his ear.

After managing his heart that was erratically shaking within his chest, Yeonjun then replied, saying "I don't mind, I love it when you say that you love me."

"You do?" Wooyoung questioned in a tone that he often uses to tease the boy in his arms.

"Although I would like it better if you would just kiss me." Yeonjun bit his lip, fighting the sudden urge to let out a scream "Showing is better than telling, am I right?"

Wooyoung could only smile like an idiot, the pinkish color that was spreading around his cheeks was enough to show Yeonjun how flustered he was.

"Once again, you're right. You always are and always will be," Wooyoung answered his lover's question as he pushed fingers through the locks of Yeonjun's hair "Because you will always be the right one for me."

"That's awfully sweet, my prince." Yeonjun responded with a chortle.

"I'm always sweet when it comes to you, aren't I?" Wooyoung arched a brow.

"Indeed you are, my prince." Yeonjun laughed along with him whilst pressing his forehead against Wooyoung's, eagerly desperate to kiss each other's lips.

But then the door slammed open, startling the lovey-dovey couple who then removed their arms from each other upon seeing the familiar face of Wooyoung's father that was filled with pure rage.

"How dare you! How dare you both!" The King exclaimed with anger, face fuming with fury as he looked upon the couple that was just holding each other about a second ago "You! I gave you a chance. I told you to run away, but instead you come back and put filthy hands again on my son?!"

"My King, I am terribly sorry—" Yeonjun tried to apologise, but the King didn't want to hear it and cut him off instead.

"Enough with your apologies, it is useless." The King shushed the boy, his raging eyes deeply staring at Yeonjun's trembling ones "Guards, take him away, lock him up in the chambers and don't even think about letting him out."

Guards then surrounded the entire place, but there was a particular one whom Wooyoung laid eyes on, shooting him a look that showed that he was hurt.

Pairs of strong hands wrapped themselves around Yeonjun's brittle arms, causing him to whimper in pain. He tried resisting, but they just gripped onto him harder, making it more difficult and painful for him.

"Father, please don't do this. He doesn't deserve any of this. Take me instead." Wooyoung begged in his knees, gripping onto his Father's hand whilst giving him eyes filled with desperation.

"No. What you're going to do is go out there and find yourself a maiden. Do me a favor and try to at least become a proper king, son." The King placed his hand on his son's shoulder "Now stand up, you look pathetic. Kings should never beg on their knees, they are the ones who make people beg."

Wooyoung eyed his lover, his heart slowly breaking at the sight of his Yeonjun struggling, the pain in his eyes made his heartache.

"Let him go!" Wooyoung shouted, but they didn't listen "I said, let him go!"

"Take him to the chambers, now." The King commanded harshly. Wooyoung could only watch in despair as the love of his life was slowly dragged away. It made him feel even more angered and weak. He was too weak to stand up for him, to weak to go against his father, and now his Yeonjun was about to suffer a fate that's likely to be cruel mainly because he was a coward.

"And you," The King pointed at him "Go to the throne room at once, your mother is waiting for you. Don't even think about sneaking out to go to that servant boy. You must know your place, son."

"Don't call me son. I was never your son, and I never will be." Wooyoung muttered out with venom before leaving his father all alone in his bedroom. He paused midway, slowly turning his heels so that he could face the soldier who was standing behind him with a guilty expression in his face.

"What a fool am I to have ever trusted you, Hwaseong."


	5. The Cruel Fate of Choi Yeonjun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of abuse, rape, sexual assault, and suicide. Read at your own risk.

Two pairs of strong hands kept themselves locked on Yeonjun's brittle wrists, dragging his frail body across the dark hallways of the prison walls. Yeonjun didn't beg nor did he ask the soldiers to stop. Instead, he chose to bear with the pain and go along with them, not minding their ruthless actions, treating him as if he were some disgusted rug that was meant to be tossed and thrown away.

After all, in a world like this, that was probably the only thing that he was. Just a mere, lowly, and useless rag that was meant to be used, only to be abandoned and disposed of.

"Go in." One of the soldiers spat, keeping a monotone expression as he faced Yeonjun. But it seemed like Yeonjun wasn't willing to listen, and so the soldier's face began twitching in annoyance "I said, go in, you fucking bastard."

The soldier didn't hesitate to give a kick to Yeonjun's back, the overwhelming amount of force caused him to lose balance and fall his way inside the dungeon that was destined for him. Yeonjun's face hit the floor, causing him to groan as he tried to process the situation. The young merchant boy slowly gathered himself up and sat on the floor, making eye contact with the soldiers, his eyes held no hint of emotion, they were lifeless, as if it was already dead.

"What's with that look, huh? You want us to beat you up?" Another soldier spoke, raising a brow as he crossed his arms.

Yeonjun did not answer. He closed his lips shut, not having the energy to respond.

"Silence means yes, am I right?" The sound of knuckles cracking entered Yeonjun's ears, making his gulp in fear. The two soldiers looked at one another, sharing smug looks as they telepathically planned all sorts of horrible things that they could do to the little merchant boy that was sitting on the floor.

"Should we break his ribs? Rip out his organs?" One of them spoke again, letting out a psychotic laugh that would forever ring in Yeonjun's ears. It was terrifying to hear, it was enough to make Yeonjun start trembling in fear.

"Oh, he's scared." The other one teased, making stupid faces and remarks to Yeonjun, who could only watch them in disgust while frozen in fear "Seeing you all scared is actually motivating me to beat you even more. You look fun to play with, little peasant."

Yeonjun looked down, avoiding the eyes of the two soldiers to hide his eyes that were glossy with tears "P-Please, have mercy on me."

The two soldiers just laughed, feeling amused by the growing fear that they sensed from Yeonjun "Mercy? We don't know what the fuck that is."

The two soldiers did not hesitate to tackle themselves onto Yeonjun, who closed his eyes out of pure fear and stiffened his entire body, hoping that it would at least make them unable to grab hold of him, but that failed miserably. Before he knew it, ropes were tightly keeping his wrists captive, along with his entire body. Yeonjun squirmed around, desperately trying to escape the ropes that tied him, but doing that earned himself a huge smack from one of the soldiers.

"Stop squirming around, you little shit." The soldier exclaimed, giving Yeonjun another smack in the head for being all annoying "Now, allow us to explore, your body looks like a whole goddamn map."

Yeonjun gasped in shock as he felt a pair of hands slide along his legs, touching him in ways he didn't want to be touched. It made him writhe with discomfort, it displeased him in so many ways. He couldn't believe this was happening to him, it began to scare him, he began to tremble even more. He wanted to scream for help, but he couldn't even do that. He was too frozen to even speak.

"Quit moving, you peasant." Poor Yeonjun earned a punch in his stomach, making him hiss, eyes twitching because of the pain, "You liked it when the Prince did these things to you, you little slut. Why don't you like it when it comes from us? It's no different."

But the thing is, it was different. When Wooyoung himself did these sort of things to him, it would always leave him wiggling in excitement, made him yearn for it more whenever the prince would do lewd things to him. Yeonjun liked it because Wooyoung was gentle, with every single touch laid a hint of pure love and adoration, it showcased how much Wooyoung loves him. But them, these soldiers? They were far from that. They were merciless, they didn't love him, they certainly never even cared about him. They're just heartless soldiers who just want to use them for their own pleasure. And the worst thing was, Yeonjun let them do those things to him. He didn't try to resist, nor did he try fighting back. Because in the end, it would all be useless anyway.

It got to the point wherein Yeonjun was stripped off his own clothes, making him shiver as the cold breeze of winter greeted him while these two men did things to his body. They left marks, bruises, they just straight up abused his body with all their might without even caring how he would feel and how much it would affect him.

"Stop, please stop." Yeonjun finally begged, not being able to handle the abuse and all of the pain and discomfort the two men were giving him.

"But we haven't even got to the good stuff, you peasant." Yeonjun heard those words being whispered in his ear. But before Yeonjun could even protest, he let out a huge ear-ripping scream upon feeling something enter him from below.

Yeonjun cried at the pain of that something ramming inside of him, taking his virginity without consent. He felt horrid, he felt miserable, he felt absolutely disgusted with himself for allowing this bullshit to happen to him. He felt helpless in that situation, he hated himself for being so weak, so fucking weak.

And then, it finally hit him. I committed a sin. Yeonjun thought to himself. He felt like a sinner, everything that had just happened felt so wrong. He badly wanted to scream, to disappear, he just felt so done and so damn embarrassed about it all. He felt like garbage, and a part of him felt like his feelings weren't valid because it was his fault anyway. Everything was and always is his fault.

The merciless soldiers decided to finish him off with a couple of slaps and punches across his body, leaving him alone in the dungeon all dirty, broken, bruised, and used. They just left him tied like that, and Yeonjun could hear their cackles echoing in his ear.

Yeonjun was beyond horrified, he didn't want to believe that just happened. That his body isn't even virgin anymore, that he let some random strangers take it all away from him and make him feel humiliated and use him like some kind of punching bag. Now he was there, hanging around whilst having to deal with the throbbing pain those punches and slaps gave him as the cold winter air wrapped his entire body like an ice blanket.

Yeonjun hung his head down low, closing his eyes and hoped to the heavens that they would never open again.

\--

Tired. That is one term to describe how Yeonjun is feeling right now. 

He laid along the cold floors within the four-walled room that trapped him, tears falling down miserably as the poor boy tried to make out at least a little bit of light in order to see his surroundings. He was in a frail state, no one was there to help him, no one to ease the pain that he was feeling. The poor boy trembled upon feeling a small gust of wind past by him, shivering due to the lack of cloth that was supposed to cover his body.

It had already been a week since he had been thrown behind bars, taken to prison for merely loving a man. Been a week since his body got straight up abused by men he did not even know personally. Seven days since those horrifying events gave him nightmares. Seven days of endless suffering, endless crying, endless hoping for death to just come by knocking in and take him away from this world.

He was tired of it all.

Yeonjun then felt evident fear crawling up to his body upon hearing the sound of shackles ringing in his ears. He closed his eyes again and braced himself for what was about to happen. But after a few seconds of silence, he looked up to see the familiar face of the king greet him, it made him scoot away in fear, thinking that he might have intentions of beating him.

"Do not move yourself away from me, Yeonjun. I won't dare to harm you, Wooyoung would despise me for that." The King said, glaring at him with eagle eyes that only made Yeonjun shake more. The brief mention of his lover's name almost brought him to tears, making his heart ache in absolute agony. Hesitatingly, the king threw a huge robe and some slippers towards him, making Yeonjun question what he was doing "Wear these and leave this castle for good. And, I have one last request for you, dear servant."

"W-What would that be... your highness?" Yeonjun questioned with quivering lips. It was even a miracle that he had spoken after days of sealing his mouth shut.

"Once you get out of here, go somewhere far, where you can never be seen. After you have completed that, kill yourself. Get rid of your existence that wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. Remember my word, or I will seek for you myself and kill you with my own hands." The King ordered harshly, spitting out venom with each word that he spoke. He faced Yeonjun with a serious expression that only made the boy feel even more intimidated "Go, this instant. Never show your face to this kingdom ever again."

In Yeonjun's incapacitated state, he found it difficult to put himself together and garner the strength to even stand up. With doubts filling up his chest, he ran away from the palace, as he had no choice to do so. He ran away, as far as he can, not even caring about how exhausted he was. It didn't take long for his body to give up on him, causing him to trip and lose his balance.

It took a lot of composure to bring himself back up and run again. After a short amount of time, he arrived at someplace familiar. His home. This place sparked up so many memories of him and his beloved lover, Jung Wooyoung. And for once, he remembered his smile, his sparkling eyes, those soft and plump lips of his that he will never get to feel again. He reminisced the feeling of laying down the grass, staring at the twinkling starts whilst having Wooyoung right beside him. The feeling of loving him and being loved by him, he missed it all dearly. Tears left his eyes again, and this time, it didn't stop, it just kept going until Yeonjun felt like there wasn't even more left for him to cry.

Yeonjun walked inside, entering the familiar cottage, indulging the presence it gave off that made him feel safe. A weary smile grew in his face as he grabbed hold of a rope that he hid beneath his bed. In a leisurely pace, he made his way outside again and tied the rope around his neck. After prepping himself for what was about to happen now, he inhaled a deep breath, as it was going to be his last one.

Yeonjun found himself hanging, gasping for breath as the rope that was tightly tied to his neck began to strangle him. It continued on until he slowly began losing grasp of his own life. Death began to take over him, but before it could even take him away fully, he used the last bit of life he had left and uttered out a few words.

"Farewell, for now." Yeonjun muttered with a smile before finally losing his grasp and fell to the abyss of death.

His eyes fluttered themselves shut, his chest that was rising and falling was now stable. The pain and days of struggle for him were finally over...

or are they?


	6. Punishment

An intense feeling of pain completely dominated Yeonjun's head as he shot his eyes open, hammering him with no mercy. It was the only thing he could feel with his nerves, as he felt sort of unfamiliar with the idea of having arms or legs. His body felt numb, but he found himself standing up anyways, looking around the place that surrounded him, only to see nothing but pure white walls.

"Where am I?" Yeonjun questioned, scratching the back of his due to confusion. But he was suddenly greeted by the compelling memories of what had occurred before he had closed his eyes shut in which he thought would stay that way for eternity.

_I'm supposed to be dead right now, right?_ He asked himself in his subconscious, taking a few steps around the place, hoping to find something, maybe like a door to heaven or a hole that leads him to hell.

Hell. The thought of it made Yeonjun shiver with fear as he pictured himself being absorbed by endless pools of flames, and to be left there to suffer, to burn in agony and dread along with other souls who've committed sins, just like him.

"Choi Yeonjun." At the mere utterance of his own name, the walls painted with white were exchanged with walls of black, tinted with red and gold. Pillars suddenly rose from the ground, causing the floor to shake with power, also making Yeonjun stumble and land on the floor with his butt, making him groan in pain as he processed the situation that was beginning to unfold in front of his two eyes.

_What just happened?_ The confused boy asked once again, wandering his eyes across the room, shocked about the sudden change of environment in a matter of seconds. _Wherever I am, this certainly isn't heaven, nor is it terrifying enough to be addressed as hell._

Shadows began crawling all over the room, startling Yeonjun—who wrapped his knees inside his arms as he watched the dark silhouettes make its way to the golden throne that was sitting in front of the four-walled room. The so-called shadows, then began to evolve into smoke, whirling around until the gusts of wind flew away, and a person who wasn't there before—claimed his place on the throne and eyed the young boy with an extremely intimidating glare.

“What a pathetic fellow you are.” The man in the throne said out loud, hurting a little bit of Yeonjun’s pride, but he did not bother to protest as the statement was painfully accurate “Do you know why you’re here, young boy?”

Yeonjun was surprised by the abrupt question given to him, but he knew he had to give an answer one way or another “I-I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Gosh, even the way you answer sounds miserable. Can’t you be any more pathetic?” The man scoffed.

“I-I apologize for that.”Yeonjun said whilst his head was hung low, slightly hurt by the blunt remarks thrown at him. It made him feel like garbage, like he was worthless. He thought committing suicide would put an end to the misery he felt, but he just began feeling worse, and he hated it so much. If he knew this was what would happen , then maybe he would've had second thoughts about killing himself.

“Let me just get straight on to the point.” The man spoke tiredly “The Gods have come to a decision that you will be receiving punishment.” Yeonjun flicked his head up, eyes widening at what he had just heard. 

“E-Excuse me, what? Punishment?” “Yes, you heard me loud and clear, boy.” The man confirmed with a stern expression, tapping his fingers along the arm of his golden throne.

“M-May I ask what I did wrong?” Yeonjun cross-questioned, voice trembling due to the overwhelming fear that was beginning to take control of him. After all the torture he had gone through inside the castle’s prison walls, Yeonjun began to develop a deep and traumatizing impression about the thought of punishment, and now, he was sentenced to experience it again.

“You committed suicide at a sacred place, which is your home. The house in which you lived in was the place where the Goddess Junhee lived, so it is considered as a sacred household. And you committing suicide there damaged its purpose and meaning. And you being born as a cursed child might make the effects of your actions even more severe. It can cause chaos within the village you once lived in.” The man explained with inexplicable detail, now placing both of his hands together as he faced Yeonjun—who was in his knees as he had a difficult time coming to terms with what the man just said to him.

“I—I...so that makes me the son of Goddess Junhee and the Courageos Yeongi? For all these years, I just thought of it as a mere coincidence to even have the letters of my name in theirs as well.” Yeonjun said, stunned by the information that he had just received. How could he be this reckless and utterly clueless? The poor boy asked himself those questions again.

“And as your punishment, you will be tasked to solve the heartbreaks and issues regarding romance of 100,000 people. If you succeed to do so, the curse that was placed in your soul will be lifted, as well as pardon for the mistakes you’ve done.” The man announced. “And what happens if I fail?”Yeonjun queried, fear was evident in the way he spoke, making the man sitting in the throne cackle, finding joy in the visible fear he saw in Yeonjun.

“Your body will be turned to ash, and your soul will burn in hell for eternity.” Was the answer given to Yeonjun. The said boy began to fear his own fate, wondering how long it would take him to complete his task. “And what happens if I refuse to do it?” Yeonjun queried once again, facing the man as he tried not to tremble in front of his presence.

“Good question.” The man smirked in satisfaction by the question given to him “Well, all I can tell you is—“

\--

Yeonjun found himself wandering on a random street he has never seen, the place was all too unfamiliar, nothing resembled the village that he used to live at, which was great so that no memories of him about that place would pop up in his mind. He continued down his path, the surroundings around him are no longer houses, but trees. He entered the forests, the territory of the mighty ones from up above.

Yeonjun halted, only a few steps away from an old cottage standing in the middle of countless trees. He picked up the bottle he had in his ha

nd and opened the lid. It was filled with magical dust, given to him by the man (who was actually a God) and claimed it to be the starting point of his task. Remembering the instructions given to him, he poured a small amount of it in his palm and began sprinkling it on the floor, and he repeated this process until it surrounded the little cottage in the form of a circle. As he finished doing so, he took small steps backward before chanting the incantation that he was told to memorize before he was handed the bottle of dust earlier.

A bright light consumed the place, and the little cottage began to shake. It began to widen, taking up more space, making Yeonjun move away to avoid getting hit by anything. And what used to be a little cottage was now a perfectly stable wooden house, almost like a store. The procedure was finally complete, and now Yeonjun was to go along with his journey to completing his given task, no matter how many years it would take him to do so.

And the journey of Choi Yeonjun began in a wooden store located in the middle of the forest—one that will only appear to the eyes of those with hearts filled with the need of having their deepest romantic issues put to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter sucked T-T


	7. Lost in the woods

Having nowhere else to go and nothing to do, Yeonjun decided to take a little trip down the woods, hoping to find a little bit of entertainment to keep his mind busy. It had only been a few weeks since this task had been given to him, and he found himself quickly growing tired of it. It was disappointing, humiliating, and frustrating. No one has ever stepped inside his little store, the place slowly got more desolate with each day that passed by, it made Yeonjun super bored, lonely, and it bugged the hell out of him that he wasn’t getting anything done.

At this pace, he might have to bear living an entire millennium to get his job done, and he certainly did not like the idea of that.

With his mind packed with lots of different thoughts, Yeonjun wandered around the forest as he placed his fingertips around the stem of tall wooden trees, engraving their textures mindlessly. His eyes scanned the forests from left and right, and to his surprise, all he saw were trees. He liked how the winds caressed his skin, giving his body a little bit of air to dry out the sweat that was beginning to form in his body as the heat from the sun was almost consuming him whole. Nevertheless, he liked the overall feeling of the place, how it made him feel safe, how it comforted him in a way, and the beauty of the scenery was just immaculate.

Oh the scenery was beyond beautiful. The skies were unnoticeably blue, softly decorated by clouds with all kinds of shapes and sizes. The sun was glinting glamorously, giving off an adequate amount of sunlight. Trees were all over the place, ropes of vines hanging around the branches as if they were little accessories. Leaves were scattered around messily on the ground, and Yeonjun swore he’d hear twigs break with each step he took.

The scenery around him felt too familiar, the beauty of it was too similar to the ones he had seen before. Everything about the place reminded him of the life that he used to live. It all came back to him, and it all fell down on him like a huge pile of rocks meant to weigh him down and make him fall. The pretty smile in his face turned bittersweet as his mind was constantly flooding him with memories that he sincerely wished to forget.

**-FLASHBACK-**

The deafening sound of silence and the constant sound of leaves crunching with each step they took were the only sound that dominated both of Yeonjun’s ears. He didn’t know what to say, as he was either too immersed with the beauty of the forests accompanied by the orange skies of the sunset or person walking next to him, which was in fact—Prince Jung Wooyoung, who had both his hands clasped behind his back, the way the golden hue of the sun’s rays elegantly touched his skin, making his side profile even more dashing to look at. Yeonjun found him effortlessly beautiful at that moment.

“Oh when will your eyes ever stop looking at me, dear Yeonjun?” Wooyoung teased with a smirk plastered in his lips. He didn’t even have to turn his head to see how Yeonjun’s face was quickly covered in a light hue of red.

“I-I uhm wasn’t looking at you.” Yeonjun bit his lip to contain the embarrassment he was feeling. He possibly couldn’t be any more obvious, right? “I-I was just looking at the trees in that direction. Haha.”

“Oh honey, you don’t have to deny it. I’m not that oblivious, Yeonjun.” Said Wooyoung who faced Yeonjun as his lips curved into a playful smile. He took a step closer, making Yeonjun take a step backward. Wooyoung noticed this and did not hesitate to grab Yeonjun by the waist, their faces inches apart from one another “Don’t move away from me, let’s stay like this, okay?”

“O-Okay…” Yeonjun mumbled quietly, enough for Wooyoung to hear though. He felt his entire body paralyzing upon feeling both of Wooyoung’s hands wrapped around his hips and his eyes staring deeply at his.

“Now look at me and tell me that I am indeed beautiful.” Yeonjun almost chuckled at Wooyoung’s order, but there was no denying that what he said was true “Tell me, right now.”

“You’re beautiful, my prince.” Yeonjun followed Wooyoung’s little request, also directly confessing that he was in fact—beautiful in his eyes. A smile formed itself in Wooyoung’s lips as he heard Yeonjun utter out those words, it made him fall a little bit more for him.

Yeonjun could never and will never forget how beautiful Wooyoung looked that day. How his black hair softly swayed along with the autumn breeze, his enthralling eyes that sparkled with happiness, his precious smile, the little mole on his right cheek. The image of Wooyoung at that moment engraved itself in Yeonjun’s mind. He will never forget how he made his flutter even with the smallest gestures to the short eye contacts they make with each other.

Yeonjun swore to never forget it all.

**-FLASHBACK-**

Even the most beautiful things can cause us the most heart-wrenching pain. Yeonjun realized that too late. If only he knew sooner, then maybe he would not have gotten hurt. Yet he didn’t even have the heart to put the blame on Wooyoung himself, it was partly his fault for capturing feelings for him even though he had told himself many times that he shouldn’t. He chose the wrong decision, but it gave him a little amount of happiness.

Happiness is all Yeonjun ever wanted, and now he’s cursed, punished for wanting to be happy. A tad bit unfair, isn’t it? Sadly, he can’t do anything about it, that’s how massive the consequences of his actions are. He could’ve just gone to hell and burn for eternity, but after knowing the chaos that might happen because of the mistakes he committed; he had no choice but to comply to the mission given to him. Only then can he leave this world without any conflicts revolving within him.

One thing was for sure, and that was the fact that he never ever regretted loving Wooyoung. The only thing he regrets up until now is the fact that he never had the chance to say goodbye. How he just left him alone like that with no proper closure. Never had a chance to say ‘ I love you’ one last time, to feel his lips again, to see his smile again. He no longer has the chance to do all those things anymore, and Yeonjun feels like he’s lost everything.

Too busy with his remorseful and sorrowful thoughts, what Yeonjun didn’t notice was the fact that he was now in the middle of nowhere, the sky almost turning dark, and the late realization that he does not have a single clue to where the way back to his little store was. Basically, Yeonjun was now lost, and now he was busy slapping himself mentally for letting himself be carried away by his thoughts, one of the rare moments in which he understands how stupid he actually is.

“What should I do now?” Yeonjun asked himself as he scratched the back of his head in pure frustration. And for a while, he actually starts to think properly. The best he could come up with was to walk anywhere to which his gut calls to, hoping that it would lead him back to where he came from, but that method certainly did not work out very well.

The sky was now pitch black, no source of moonlight anywhere, and Yeonjun was still stuck in the forest. His anxiety began rising in an unsteady pace. His imagination started to make up things in his mind, a side effect when he stays in the dark for too long. Yeonjun absolutely hated darkness, it was personally one of his biggest fears, a certain one in which he’d have a difficult time to overcome it.

Luckily, the moon began to show itself for once and actually provide a little bit of light, enough for Yeonjun to make out the view of the forest despite the darkness. And as he was walking around, his surprisingly keen eyes caught a sight of an odd bouquet of flowers lying down in the grass.

“Oh, these flowers would look pretty if I displayed it in my room” Yeonjun squealed with excitement to himself as he picked up the flowers, holding it tightly with his hands before continuing his journey down the dark path ahead of him. He took a mental note to himself to place it in a jar of water if he gets home, and also to add a bit of decoration in the main room of his little store as it was lacking those of some sort.

The latter continued walking endlessly, not having a single clue about his whereabouts, but still went on anyway. And inevitably, he stepped on something that what he perceived was a little twig breaking, so he just continued walking away. But as soon as he did, he was slowly beginning to hear a tiny voice squeaking, but Yeonjun shrugged it off, thinking that it was probably the result of his mind going insane after not having food for hours.

“Yah! Did you not hear me?!” The voice was now too loud for it to be just a figment of Yeonjun’s imagination, causing the boy to raise his eyebrows in confusion. So he turned around, only to be greeted by the presence of a complete stranger who had wings in his back, causing Yeonjun to jump back due to the overwhelming shock that spiraled around him.

“You scared me.” Was what Yeonjun said as he dramatically placed his palm around his chest to check if his heart was still beating “You nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you anyway? And why do you have silly wings on your back?”

The other boy scoffed “My wings are not silly. You’re the silly one here because you stepped on my house, you ignorant fool!”

“I stepped on your house? How could I have possibly done that? I’m not a pesky giant, you know.” Yeonjun replied, rolling his eyes to add a little bit of expression that showcased his annoyance.

“Uh yes, you are.” The stranger retorted back “Are you stupid? Do you not see the wings I have in my back? Do you have any idea of what species I might be? Heck do you even know anything?”

“Those wings are obviously fake, who wears wings like that anyway? Who even likes to wear wings?” Yeonjun laughed in mockery.

“I don’t, but I have to deal with having them. Why exactly? Because I am a goddamn fairy, does that ring a bell to you?” Beomgyu said in between his gritted teeth, concealing himself from the urge to tackle down the unnoticeably annoying boy in front of him.

“Wait—I thought fairies don’t exist?” Yeonjun questioned which was an obvious offense to the other one’s species.

“Wha—how dare you.” He gasped in shock upon hearing Yeonjun’s words.

“I thought you guys merely existed in children’s storybooks.” Yeonjun said, still surprised about the new discovery he just made.

“We exist too, you know. It’s not just humans and animals who wander around the earth, gee.” The little fairy replied sassily.

“Do unicorns exist too?” Yeonjun asked with visible curiosity glinting in his eyes.

The fairy crossed his arms and scoffed “Of course they do, you people just don’t have the heart to believe that creatures like me and unicorns coexist with all of you.”

“Wow, this knowledge just made my mind go kaploow.” Yeonjun said as he gestured the action of his mind blowing up with his two hands.

“Well yeah, but that still does not change the fact that you stepped on my house. I have nowhere to live now, thank you very much.” The fairy snarled viciously upon remembering how the boy crushed his house to smithereens.

“I thought it was a twig. And how would a life-sized fairy like you be able to live in a twig-like home?” Yeonjun interrogated the fairy.

“Because I can shrink.” The fairy answered simply “Also I want to clarify that I do not live inside a twig, but rather in a house that is made of twigs.”

“ Why live in a house made of tiny twigs though?” Yeonjun asked randomly.

“It’s a preference. I despise the idea of living with humans, I’d rather live in somewhere wherein they can’t see me, it lowers my chances of people discovering that I am a winged species, in other terms—a fairy. Also, it takes up less space, and I’m more comfortable as my tiny self.” Beomgyu explained thoroughly.

“Understandable.” Yeonjun nodded in agreement.

“Speaking about where I live—“ Beomgyu cut himself midway his statement “Where am I supposed to live now? You basically destroyed my home, you doofus.”

“Well I’m sorry, you couldn’t have just made your house a little bit bigger so it’d be more visible to the human eye.” Yeonjun answered back sarcastically.

“So it’s my fault now?” The fairy scorned.

“What do you expect me to do? Make a new house for you? Excuse me but I have absolutely zero skills when it comes to building stuff, especially little fairy houses.” Yeonjun ridiculed.

“Sorry, but neither do I. It took me years to assemble that darn house.” The fairy said in frustration, but then he widened his eyes as an idea slipped inside his head, making him smirk in a way Yeonjun found suspicious “Although, I think I might have the solution to this problem.”

“And what might that be?” Yeonjun quizzed with a raised brow.

“You’re obviously lost here in the woods, am I right? If not, then you probably have a death wish.” The fairy said, hitting Yeonjun’s pride straight in the face.

Yeonjun did not bother answering the fairy’s question; all he could focus on was his damaged pride at the moment.

“And considering the fact that you’ve done despicable damage to my property—there is a way to solve the two problems in one shot. Basically, I will help you find your way back home unless you sign a contract that pledges full ownership of me, only then can I help you. And then I can just live at your place as a reward, and it serves as my only option as a home to live in. So, do you agree with me?”

“Wait—what? Contract? Why do I have to sign a contract?” Yeonjun queried in confusion, still trying to process half of the things that the fairy just explained to him.

“It is declared in fairy law that fairies like me are not obliged to help humans like you unless I am tied with you with a contract, or either indebted to you. So just sign the damn contract and let’s get over with this, I just want to get my well deserved fairy nap.” The fairy clarified, partnered along with a yawn that signified his tiredness.

“Fine, where’s the contract?” Yeonjun sighed in defeat. He was then compelled by the sight of a sheet of paper and an ink pen magically appearing in the fairy’s hands with a mere snap of his finger “Wow, that’s cool.”

The fairy then handed over the contract to Yeonjun, who then began to scan the contract given to him “Your name is Beomgyu? What an odd name.”

“How dare you? My name is probably prettier than your ever will be.” Beomgyu rolled his eyes whilst flipping his non-existent hair like a diva.

“How is ‘Beomgyu’ prettier than the name ‘Yeonjun’?” Yeonjun battled back to the annoyed fairy.

“Must we have to argue about a small thing like this? It hasn’t been a day since I met you but you’re already tiring to deal with.” Beomgyu let out an exasperated sigh, tired mainly because Yeonjun was draining the energy out of him.

“I get that a lot.” Yeonjun laughed half-heartedly, shoving the pen and signed paper to Beomgyu along with a little huff “Now can you guide me back home? I’m getting tired as well.”

“As you wish.” And with another snap of Beomgyu’s fingers, they were quickly transported inside Yeonjun’s store. Yeonjun was quick to sit down on the nearest chair his eyes landed on.

“Oh God, I can’t feel my legs.” Yeonjun breathed out, the feeling of relaxation and the constant numbness of his feet and body mixed within his being. But he felt an uncomfortable sensation in his left buttcheek, so he decided to stand up and figure out the cause of his sudden discomfort “Oh, it’s the flowers I picked up earlier.”

Yeonjun miraculously remembered the mental note he told himself earlier and went to the kitchen to grab a spare jar inside his cabinet. He then picked up a worthy jar to place the flowers in and quickly filled it with water. But before he could leave the room, he was interrupted by a voice—obviously Beomgyu’s.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Beomgyu screamed in horror.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Yeonjun asked the horrified fairy.

“You’re not supposed to put those flowers in water, don’t you know that?” Beomgyu questioned in an irritated tone “Do you even know what flower that is?”

Yeonjun shook his head “No.”

“Ugh, how can a human be this dumb?” Beomgyu groaned and took the jar of water away from Yeonjun’s grasp “Those are Gafylla flowers, Yeonjun. They’re a rare type of flower.”

“Oh.” Yeonjun’s mouth formed a tiny circle upon hearing that information “What are they for?”

“It’s one of the ingredients needed to create a love potion, as it contains a kind of oxytocin that basically fires up the hormones, not literally though. And—“ Beomgyu then pointed at the jar of water he had in had, directly towards Yeonjun so he could see what he meant “—If you put it in water, it will simply dissolve that oxytocin away and it becomes useless.”

“Oh okay.” Yeonjun said “What do I do with it then?”

“Store it in a dry container.” Beomgyu advised before leaving the room without another word.

After storing the rare flower inside a dry jar, he displayed it inside his kitchen cabinet and proceeded to go outside and take some rest. But his plans were immediately put into halt as he saw a person enter his shop. Yeonjun stopped in his tracks, struck by the shock that a person with a problem to solve finally approached his doorstep.

There were tears that stained his cheeks, he looked distraught, worn out. These are obviously the side effects of falling in love with a person who was never bound to reciprocate the same feelings as you. This realization made Yeonjun smile as he placed his hand on the man’s shoulder as a sign of comfort

“How may I help you, sir?”


	8. Time and Change

In our lives, there are certain points of it when we just wish that hopefully—time would stop. We spend our time thinking about it, wondering if there might be even the smallest possibility that it could possibly happen. But inevitably, as life goes on—time does too. There’s absolutely nothing we can do otherwise than bear each ticking second of it as it endlessly moves forward.

And with time, things change. Yeonjun was a living witness to it all. The way the infrastructures in each country have changed. How coconut houses have transformed to well-built houses made by bricks, or most transportation vehicles no longer rely on animals like Horses and Carabaos—which is a good thing. Yeonjun has seen the world burn in flames in times when people engaged themselves in war, and also when it flourished once the people decided to come together and change it into a better place.

Along with change, time also brings pain. It is in fact true that you need time in order to heal, but what happens when you never heal at all? You have to bear the pain, never even able to harness the courage to forget the horrifying moments that have occurred in the past. Time slips by through your fingers and you’re still there, stuck in the past, the memories of the events in the past chains you from being able to move forward. You slowly become emotionally numb, the feeling of being hurt for so long that you’ve become so used to the pain. That was exactly the case for Yeonjun. He can smile at certain times when he has to, but overall, he’s lost the strength to feel, and the reason why he’s still living is all merely because of the task that he has to complete.

And Yeonjun hates, no—despises how the world has changed. He loathed it all, how the ‘leaders’ who are supposed to guide the country and its people—are actually manipulative and greedy. How everything is now modernized, leaving only little traces of their own culture. How people are now brainwashed to think that they can only rely on the government, and all these laws that they implemented that actually go against the main moral of what is called human rights. But the one thing that Yeonjun despised out of everything the human race has created is the implementation of having to pay taxes.

“Why did humans even invent taxes? And for what?—“ Yeonjun ranted, frustratingly pressing two fingers onto his temples.

“To accumulate funds for the functioning of the government machineries—“

“Did I fucking ask?” Yeonjun gritted his teeth, his eyes staring aggressively towards the young man standing in front of him with all sorts of documents in his hands “And to what? Accumulate funds—what kind of bullshit is that?”

“I’m afraid it’s what you call facts, sir.” Soobin, who was unfortunately chosen by the Kang Reapers as Yeonjun’s assistant manager—responded back to his boss, who was currently having a wild yet childish tantrum all about taxes.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes at his assistant’s petty yet sort of trendy remark. He eyed the younger with a visibly irritated face. It wasn’t like Yeonjun didn’t like him or anything, he just hated the idea of possibly developing a sort of attachment towards Soobin that might lead to him having to deal with the weighing pain of longing once he ceases to exist in this world. After all, Yeonjun is immortal, Soobin isn’t, and so were his past assistant managers who served him before Soobin did. Yeonjun was fortunate enough to not develop any attachments to them, but he might mindlessly make an exception for Soobin.

“What’s the purpose of paying taxes when all the government does is steal them? Do you know how high the corruption rate crimes are these days?” Yeonjun questioned.

“Yes, I know sir. I majored in Business Management.” Soobin answered casually, indirectly flexing his bachelor’s degree that he drags along with him all the time for this exact reason.

“Yes, I know you major in Business Management, good for you.” Yeonjun mumbled under his breath “But what does you being a Business Management major have to do with the corruption rate in this country?”

“I don’t know sir, I was just flexing.” Soobin shrugged “Speaking of taxes, we have to pay before the end of the week. So that means no shopping for clothes or useless things that you don’t even use.”

Yeonjun plopped down his chair and groaned in annoyance “Why?”

“Because we have to pay taxes, and if we don’t pay taxes on time, we have to pay a penalty fee which will cause—“ Soobin explained, but knowing Yeonjun—he sincerely did not want to listen to it, especially now that he’s facing another mood swing.

“Yeah yeah I get it, no need to explain it to me.”Yeonjun scrunched up his face in annoyance as he stood up from his seat “God I need a drink.”

Well, another thing that has changed—is the overall image of Yeonjun’s store. You see, what was once a small little cottage in the forest that Yeonjun called a store is now a five star building with all the things that one can imagine. It was officially named ‘Lovesick Club’ during the 1990’s when Yeonjun discovered that term when he was eavesdropping from a few teenagers back then. But this club isn’t like all the other ones, because only the eyes of the broken-hearted can see its true form.

“Choi San, get my drink ready.” Yeonjun ordered as he stepped foot inside the bar room.

“Noted.” The said man replied quickly, rushing over to the bar wall in order to get the ingredients needed for Yeonjun’s drink.

Choi San is the club’s one and only barista, a true expert in making drinks yet refuses to drink one himself—as he has low alcohol tolerance. But that doesn’t stop him from being a professional expert in making drinks as he’s known to be a hard-worker no matter what he does, even if it’s just making a few beverages.

“How many shots of whiskey would you like in your drink?” San queried, just to make sure he doesn’t get Yeonjun’s drink wrong. In all honesty, Yeonjun’s drink solely depends on what mood he’s presenting at the moment. Based on Yeonjun’s facial expressions, he’d immediately put three shots, but then again, he needs assurance for it to be right.

“Just put two shots, I’m not that pissed but I’m pissed anyway.” Yeonjun replied hastily “Make it fast, San.”

“What happened?” Asked San as he poured two shots of whiskey on Yeonjun’s drink, then decorating it with a pretty umbrella on the side, along with some sliced lemons placed on the edge of the glass.

“Oh you know, Choi Soobin here chose violence and talked to me about—“ Yeonjun quickly stopped as he saw San serve his drink at the bar top.

“About what?” San quizzed.

“Taxes.” Yeonjun replied after gulping in half of the drink San prepared for him.

“Yikes.” San squinted his face as he imagined the conversation that they had “When are our taxes due anyway?”

“By the end of the week.” Soobin answered.

“Ah, I think I’m going to ask Yunho to buy a few bottles of whiskey later. Nah, I’ll do it myself, Yunho’s unreliable.” San told himself, not expecting Yunho to enter the room once those words escaped from his mouth.

“Excuse me, what did you say?” Yunho queried, to which San responded with a nervous gulp.

“N-Nothing at all, Yunho. I was just taking a mental note to myself.” San lied, hoping that Yunho would go along with it.

“Oh, okay then.” Yunho’s dark aura was quick to vanish, a cute puppy smile then formed itself on his lips “Why are you drinking, Yeonjun-nim? Did something happen?”

Yeonjun gritted his teeth upon hearing what Yunho called him “How many times did I tell you to not call me that? Yunho, we’re the same age, God.” With that, Yeonjun took another sip from his drink.

“Sorry.” Yunho apologized.

“And why aren’t you in your desk? I swear if one more customer ends up lost in this hotel because of you—“ Yeonjun was about to rant again, but Yunho was quick to quiet him down by covering his mouth with his hand.

“I-I was just going to go back after checking up on you, please don’t yell at me.” Yunho whispered at Yeonjun’s ear. Yeonjun then turned his head to Yunho’s direction, giving him a heated glare that made Yunho smile in fear, remove his hand that was covering Yeonjun’s mouth and dash away from the room as if his life depended on it.

After all, Yunho is the receptionist in the club, he’s required to stay in the front desk to check if any customers come. He scans the customers if their love problems are worth enough to be solved, because most of the customers who enter the store are basically young teenagers who can’t handle rejection or whiny ones who can’t deal with a breakup. Yeonjun made it clear himself that he never wants to help a customer with that kind of problem ever again.

“That darn idiot can never stay in his desk.” Yeonjun mumbled to himself as he drank the last bit of his drink, then placed the pretty wineglass onto the bar top for San to pick up and wash.

“Why did Yunho run away all of a sudden?” A voice asked, stepping inside the room as he brushed his slick fingers onto his hair, fixing his little bangs that were slowly covering his eyes.

“The same reason why he always does, Mingi.” San replied to him despite being focused on cleaning Yeonjun’s wineglass.

“Oh, he must've left his desk again” Mingi nodded to himself “Anyway, why are you drinking?”

“Don’t ask him, he just finished his drink.” Soobin butted in before Yeonjun could answer and get all nasty once he remembers what he was mad about.

“Also, aren’t you supposed to be with Yunho. You two are supposed to watch customers—“ Yeonjun was about to scold him, but Mingi cut him off quick.

“I was just stopping by in the bathroom, gee.” Mingi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“That’s what you always say, you idiot.” Yeonjun gestured a punch towards him, but stopped midway as he doesn’t want poor Mingi to end up with another bruise in his shoulder.

“I’ll get going then.” After that, Mingi left the room, probably heading to the kitchen instead of the front lobby, but Yeonjun couldn’t care less, he’s committed that act himself, so who’s he to judge? Food is a hard enemy to resist.

As their club’s professional customer caretaker, Mingi also needs his own source of comfort. His methods of self-comfort are venting, therapy when he desperately needs it, and also eating chicken. But when it comes to professionally comforting other people, he does a pretty good job doing so. He knows well how to empathize with the inner conflicts of other people despite not knowing them. It is his most special skill.

“Yeonjun-ah, can I ask you a favor?” San asked out of the blue, which fortunately piqued Yeonjun’s interest.

“Sure, what is it?” Yeonjun said.

“Well, I haven’t got the chance to talk to you about this, but our previous waiter quit about three weeks ago, and you know how much I need a waiter or waitress to help me out here. So I was wondering if you could find someone who’s willing to work? If not, then I can find one myself, but I just wanted to ask.” San confessed, almost like he was in a rush, but it was just a side effect of the nervousness controlling his body somehow.

Yeonjun fell silent for a few seconds, but then responded with “Sure, we could use somebody to clean the place or whatever.”

“Great!” San exclaimed with joy “I’d hug you as a sign of thanks, but then again, you hate hugs, so I’ll just say thanks.”

“Yeah, welcome.” Yeonjun replied nonchalantly “Get the phone for me Soobin, I left it at my desk.”

Soobin didn’t bother to comply and moved his long legs to Yeonjun’s office room. It was inevitable for him to notice how unbelievably messy his desk was, but he managed to find Yeonjun’s phone hidden beneath a pile of papers. Upon picking up Yeonjun’s phone, his eyes landed on a certain image that was covered by a red folder. Out of curiosity, he pushed the red folder aside to see a painting of a man’s face. He found himself fawning over the man in the painting. Somehow, the man felt familiar, but he couldn’t figure out who it possibly was. The man in the portrait was obviously a prince, as he wore a princely outfit, his features were perfectly painted, it made Soobin gasp in awe.

“Yah, Choi Soobin?! What’s taking you so long?! Where’s my darn phone?!” Soobin heard Yeonjun scream all the way from the bar room. He quickly covered the painting with the red folder, just like how it was left before he meddled with it before leaving the room in a hurry.

“I’m sorry for the delay. Your table is a mess, I had a hard time finding your phone.” Soobin apologized once he entered the room.

“Just give me the phone.” Yeonjun groaned and Soobin handed him the phone. Yeonjun immediately dialed his dear friend Taehyun’s number. And judging by Taehyun’s personality, he’d probably have to call him three times before he answers, because that’s how he is “This guy never answers when I call him.”

“What did you say?” A voice erupted from Yeonjun’s phone speaker “Yah, I take my precious time to answer your call and that’s the first thing you say to me? Do you want to die?”

“No thanks, I already went through that 500 years ago.” Yeonjun remarked sarcastically “It sucks.”

“Of course it does. Do you think death is a happy thing?” Taehyun retorted back sassily.

“I never said it was, you dimwit.” Yeonjun snarled “Anyway, I have something to ask.”

“Oh, and what might that be?” Yeonjun faintly heard Yeosang—Taehyun’s twin’s brother—speak through the other side of the phone.

“We’re kinda in need of a waiter right now, could you perhaps find someone who’s willing to work here?” Asked Yeonjun, who was tapping his fingers constantly on the bar table, waiting for a response.

“We knew you’d say that.” Taehyun spoke in a sinister tone “We already found someone for you, he’ll show up at the door in a few minutes or so.”

“Oh, really?” Yeonjun said, surprised “Thanks then, I’ll end this call.”

“No problem.” With that, their conversation was good as over, for now.

“How’d they find someone that fast? Let alone predict that we needed someone?” San quizzed, also surprised.

“They’re the Kang Reapers, they can work miracles if they want to.” Yeonjun answered with a shrug.

“You have a point.” San nodded in agreement with Yeonjun’s statement.

Meanwhile, when Yeonjun and San were having a relaxed conversation about wine and life in general, someone was slowly moving closer to where their location was. His eyes landed upon the big blue sign that said ‘Lovesick Club’. With that, he knew he was in the right place. The person placed a smile on his face as he stepped inside the fancy building, his eyes making contact with Yunho’s.

“Welcome to Lovesick Club, how may I help you?” Yunho interrogated the man.

“I’m the new waiter that the Kangs hired for this club.” The man responded without a doubt.

“Wait, they hired a new waiter? Why didn’t they tell me?” Yunho pouted in disappointment.

“It’s no big deal, Yunho. Maybe you just weren’t around when they talked about it.” Mingi comforted the taller with a little pat on the back.

“I suppose.” Yunho sighed “Well then, shall I bring you to the main lobby then?”

“I’d like that.” The man replied.

“Should I come along?” Mingi asked.

“Just stay here, in case if a customer walks in.” Yunho told him.

Mingi just nodded along and took Yunho’s spot in the receptionist’s table.

“Follow me, sir.” Yunho ordered softly. The man agreed and then followed Yunho, who then led him inside the elevator, pressing a few buttons so that they’d have a safe trip to the main lobby.

They arrived smoothly in the main lobby room. It was decorated with all sorts of magnificent lights and excellent furniture that complemented the look of the room. The walls were painted in a light color of brown that matched well with the interior of the room.

“Would you kindly wait here for a moment? I will gladly call Yeonjun for you.” Yunho formally spoke to the man “You can take a seat as I go.”

“Of course, thank you.” The man bowed towards Yunho, who then turned around and left to search for Yeonjun.  
“Yeonjun?” Yunho called as he entered the bar room once again.

“Why are you here, Yunho?” Yeonjun questioned suspiciously.

“The waiter whom the Kangs have decided for you has arrived. He is currently waiting at the main lobby.” Yunho responded.

“He arrived quicker than expected.” San spoke.

“I agree.” Yeonjun continued “Well then, shall we go and greet our new employee?”

“We shall.” San quickly exited the back bar and walked alongside Yeonjun and Yunho all the way to the main lobby.

What Yeonjun couldn’t predict was the face of the person who was waiting for them in the lobby. And by the time he walked inside that room, his body suddenly became paralyzed, as if Medusa herself stared into his eyes and turned him into stone. But no—those eyes didn’t belong to Medusa, but rather from the face of the man he once loved 500 years ago.


	9. Painful memories and unfinished discoveries

“Who...are you?” Yeonjun was stunned, as if a huge bolt of lightning struck him out of the blue. It was too much for him comprehend. The beauty he wished to never see again is now standing in front of him, making him feel emotions, those he thought he had gotten rid of a long time ago. Startled, the man stood up from his seat, hands clasped in his back as he introduced himself

“I’m Lee Yungwoo. I’m the waiter that the Kangs have picked specially for you, sir.”

“Are you really?” Yeonjun doubted the sight of the boy just a few steps away from him. He looked way too familiar, his presence felt too familiar, every single detail of him, it was all too familiar.

“Y-Yes sir, who else would I be?” Yungwoo replied with a stutter as the intimidating gaze of his ‘boss’ overwhelmed him.

“Yeonjun, do you know each other?” Yunho questioned, curiosity piqued by the sight of Yeonjun’s trembling eyes staring at Yungwoo. Yeonjun chose silence, rather than answering Yunho’s question that is most likely to spark up thoughts and memories in his head. Tears decorated the edge of his eyes the more he continued gluing his attention towards his newly chosen waiter, heart constantly aching by the sight of Yungwoo’s ocean eyes that held the galaxy, exactly similar from the eyes of his beloved past those centuries ago.

“Sir, w-what's wrong? You’re crying.” Yungwoo asked with a hint of concern, slowly stepping closer as he used his thumb to wipe away the tear that was hanging on Yeonjun’s cheek. Obviously, Yeonjun’s heart flattered, but that came along with a stinging shot of pain within his chest. Instinctively, he pushed Yungwoo’s hand away from his face aggressively, making the other gasp in shock by his action.

“How dare you touch me?” Yeonjun spoke with fury “Do that again or I swear to the heavens, you are as good as out of here.” Yeonjun went along and dragged himself (and as well as his anger issues) away from the room, feeling frustrated as ever and mind bamboozled with all these questions and thoughts that are beginning to drive him insane.

Yungwoo watched as Yeonjun took his leave in the most angered way possible. It awakened a sense of worry and guilt inside him. Disappointed, he let out a huff and lowered his head.

But then, a hand wraps itself on his shoulder, making him jolt in surprise as he sees a fine man standing beside him with a warm smile on his face, one that made him feel reassured “It’s okay, Yeonjun acts like that sometimes. His mood swings are a little bit scary to handle at first, but you’ll eventually get used to it, like we all did.”

“Oh, is that so? Okay then.” Yungwoo smiled.

“By the way, my name is San. And that tall guy’s name is Yunho, and the other tall guy in the suit is Soobin.” San introduced enthusiastically, whilst the other two flashed a smile to Yungwoo to express their kindest welcome “And I hope you don’t mind me getting clingy or touchy, it’s a habit.”

“I don’t mind, I like getting touched.” Yungwoo shrugged, agreeing to San’s terms when it comes to friendship.

“Great!” San exclaimed in excitement “I should probably show you what you have to do here since you know, I was the one who asked for a waiter, so kindly follow me.”

“Sure.” Yungwoo skipped fondly as he followed San to the Barroom.

\--

Rain, it was the only thing that comforted Yeonjun’s raging emotions. There was a whole storm swirling inside him. Teardrops of pain, thunders of anger, and dark clouds filled with dark memories. Maybe the rain helped him settle a little bit, but it didn’t stop the storm within him from continuing, constantly ripping him alive. Because not only did rain give away a feeling of comfort, it gave him memories of love, ones that bring him pain whenever it comes to mind.

**-FLASHBACK-**

_As the tears of nature fell to the ground, there Yeonjun stood, in the middle of the forest. He admired the beauty of the clear drops of rain amidst the awfully gray skies, a perfect pair made for each other, just like he and Wooyoung were._

_And beside Yeonjun was where Wooyoung stayed, as he always did. Whether the skies were sunny or gray—like now—he was always there beside Yeonjun, watching his beauty flourish, whether it was the sun rays or the heavy rain, he still appeared breathtaking in his eyes._

_“I love how the rain sparkles; they look like diamonds falling down from the sky.” Yeonjun complimented with awe, unaware of the fact that Wooyoung was staring at him with eyes filled with love and adoration._

_“I love how you see the beauty in every single thing,” Wooyoung said, making Yeonjun chuckle with glee as they made eye contact “I love how you hold so much beauty within you, that way I can never stop looking at you for being so ethereal.”_

_“Why do you always have to say the sweetest things?” Yeonjun giggled lightly, turning his head in order to get a proper view of the man beside him “You’re more ethereal than I am, dear prince.”_

_With a smile, Wooyoung took Yeonjun’s hands and interlocked it with his “I am so unbelievably lucky to claim such an astounding man like you as mine. You’re worth more than every jewel I’ve ever bought in markets, simply because none of them shine brighter than you do.”_

_“You would be worthless without me,” Yeonjun joked, letting out a hearty laugh, showing off his pretty smile “Wait no, it’s the other way around. I’d be worthless without you.”_

_“We’re worthless without each other, aren’t we?” Both of them laughed, engaging themselves in each other’s presence, falling even more in love with one another. “We make each other complete and that’s what’s important,” Yeonjun said, to which Wooyoung agreed profusely._

_Beneath the rain, they wrapped their arms against each other, sharing warmth with a kiss, their bodies close like magnets, hearts connected through the lips. They need not to say an ‘I love you’ to express their feelings for one another, a simple kiss says it all._

**-END OF FLASHBACK-**

Upon remembering that memory, the pain within him became more evident, more unbearable to handle, more burdening to carry. It was all simply too much; would it be too much to ask to feel less of it?

Mindlessly, he wandered the streets, and somehow, it felt lonely—like he was. People gave him looks, and he couldn’t care less about it. He needed a little bit of time with himself, composure, to get used to the face he’s going to be seeing for possibly the next 100 years or possibly more.

The rain felt cold, so cold. Like the heart inside him, one that’s turned stone cold as it got broken in the past. The man who showed up at the door of his own store, could he be the warmth that melts the cold away? Or could he be the one who shatters it to pieces once again?

Only fate knows.

\--

“When is Yeonjun-shi going to come back?” Wooyoung questioned as he sat down on the Barstool “He’s been out in the rain for so long, he might get sick.”

“There’s no need to worry, he can handle himself. And if he can’t, he has his little fairy Beomgyu to summon and heal him or whatever.” San assured him calmly as he peacefully was making a welcoming drink for Yungwoo.

“He has a fairy?” Yungwoo widened his eyes, surprised by the information given to him “That’s cool.”

“I know right. But Beomgyu doesn’t really show himself much. He’s either in the fairy realm or sleeping peacefully in his hidden room, the door closed with an enchantment spell, that way no one can enter it without his consent.” San continued, explaining Beomgyu’s life as if it was a fairy tale.

“I’m glad that he has Beomgyu to keep him safe, but I hope that he learns to take care of himself as well.” Yungwoo mumbled to himself, feeling worried for Yeonjun, who might be lurking in the streets

“This is all because of me, isn’t it? He hates me.”

“It totally isn’t. It’s just another episode of Yeonjun’s extreme mood swings, season 12 episode 200.” Mingi began laughing at his own joke, then Yunho laughed along with him, chaotically cackling like the crazy duo that they are.

“Yeah, hilarious.” San rolled his eyes as he turned around, not wanting to see their faces out of embarrassment and disgust of some sort.

Yungwoo let out an exasperated sigh, hand placed under his chin as he looks out to the exit of the main lobby, a part of him, hoping that Yeonjun walks in, hoping that he won’t be angry nor frustrated anymore once he comes back.

\--

The rain seemed to have no intentions of stopping, same case with him emotions that kept bringing him pain nonstop. Yeonjun walked over to a nearby bench along the sidewalk, taking a seat to rest his long legs from constant minutes of walking. His body felt numb, loose as if it was going into a state of paralysis.

“Hey, are you okay?” Yeonjun opened his closed, tired eyes to see a brown-haired stranger looking at him, concern visible in his eyes. Yeonjun didn’t know what to respond. Yes, he was indeed hurting, yet he had no courage to tell that to a person—especially one he’s never encountered before.

“Hey, I asked if you’re okay. Are you deaf or what?” The stranger snapped at him, making him flinch. Yeonjun then thought to himself if this is how Yunho and the others feel whenever he screams at them, but then again, that’s an unnecessary thought.

“I’m sorry...” Yeonjun bowed and apologized “I’m doing fine, there’s no need to worry.”

“I can sense a depressed fellow anytime, anywhere. And I never let them get away with it.” The stranger took the spot next to him, intimidatingly looking at him in the eye as if he were staring straight into his soul “So tell me, what’s bugging you? Is it the hair dye?”

Concerned and rather confused, Yeonjun began touching his hair, he just dyed it pink a few months. Now thinking about it, he has dyed it too much, but it was never really a worry for him. But then again, it’s just another unnecessary thought.

“It’s not that,” Yeonjun denied “I don’t really want to talk about it—”

“Is it a love problem? Oh, it’s got to be a love problem. People with love problems always say that they don’t want to talk about it, but end up talking about it anyway. So predictable.” The stranger then patted his back whilst Yeonjun furrowed his eyebrows out of confusion as he was in shock of how quickly this stranger read through him despite them not knowing each other.

“Do I look that predictable?” Yeonjun suddenly asked.

“You kind of do, almost everyone is. The only unpredictable people here are serial killers and psychopaths, those kinds of people” The stranger replied, which sounded agreeable in Yeonjun’s mind.

“Fair point.” Yeonjun acknowledged with a tiny nod.

“I always make fair points,” The stranger boasted with a proud smile, “But hey, whatever you’re going through, you’ll get through it. It is what it is, you just have to learn to accept and move forward. That way, you can live life with peace.”

For once, Yeonjun actually smiled, grateful and slightly comforted by the stranger’s wise words “Thank you for the advice, I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You better,” The stranger warned, pointing a finger in front of Yeonjun’s face, “Well, this was a good conversation. I sincerely would like to talk more, but I’m almost running late for a company meeting. I hope you feel better soon.”

“Of course, no problem. Sorry for holding you off.” Yeonjun apologized once again, feeling guilty for taking precious time away from a random stranger.

“No need to apologize for that. I willingly gave my time for you, so just focus on feeling better. I’m off now, goodbye.” There, the stranger bids his farewell and ran. Yeonjun stared at him from afar and wondered when he would meet him again.

“Ah, I forgot to ask for his name,” Yeonjun groaned in disappointment and smacked himself lightly in the head “He’s a good person.”

With lesser burdens and a relieved soul, Yeonjun stands up from the seat, looking up to the skies that were painted with a light hue of blue, signaling that the rain had finally stopped. Slowly, he made his way back to the building where his club is located, questioning himself whether he should prepare an apology or not. In the end, he chose to just remain silent once he steps back inside.

It took him a while, but he finally arrives in front of Lovesick Club’s building. But he doesn’t want to go back inside. Instead, he took a little curve and ended up in a little dark hallway, fascinated by the thrilling rush that the darkness gave him. Once he walked far enough, he stumbles upon an old rusty door, that magically transformed into a golden one decorated with symbols once he enchanted a tiny spell.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.” Yeonjun whispered to himself as he walked past the door to appear in a spacious library designed to appear as if it were heaven itself. Still in awe, Yeonjun made his way to the library counter, where an old friend of his stays.

“Yeonjun, it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen you here.” The librarian greeted him, astonished by the fact to see him after such a long time.

“You look older now, Namjoon Hyung.” Yeonjun mocked lightly as he signed his name in the attendance book. Never really knew why he had to but he did it anyway.

“What can I say, with time comes aging. I’ve lived way too long; my youth is fading away.” Namjoon said, almost sad about it.

“Are you kidding? You’ve lived a thousand years, Hyung. And you still look 30.” Yeonjun laughed.

“That’s the issue. I want to look like I’m 25.” Namjoon complained, but it wasn’t by heart though. “Besides, what are you here for? Are you looking for a recipe? I can find it for you.”

“It’s no problem Hyung, I can do it myself.” Yeonjun rejected the kind offer. And so, he went along, wandering across the library halls, looking for a specific book section, preferably the collection of people who have been reincarnated. Once he found it along in the farthest parts of the library, he immediately made himself comfortable and picked up a bunch of books from the shelf.

Then, he sat and searched, page by page, book by book. With a keen eye, he read and he read, looking for a name that he himself has spoken, thought of, and tried to forget too many times. But despite hours of looking, there were none, his name was nowhere to be found in every single book he has scanned. Of course, there were more books, but he was too tired to look into more of them. So eventually, Yeonjun came up with the conclusion that he—Yungwoo, must be the reincarnation of Wooyoung, his past lover. It’s recorded in one of these books, but he doesn’t know which one. He returned the books that he had used back to the shelf and went back to the library counter.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Namjoon queried him.

“Nope, I got tired.” Yeonjun answered back, fatigue evident in his tone “Anyways, I’ll be going now.”

Oh, if only had read the last page of the last book he had picked up minutes ago. He would’ve seen his name, boldly written in ink.

_Jung Wooyoung_

_Status: **Alive**_


	10. First Day

Disappointed, Yeonjun returned to the club with a monotoned expression, too tired to feel any kind of emotion. He burst the doors open, avoiding any sort of eye contact with every single employee in the room, especially Yungwoo. 

“Aigoo, he just disappeared for almost a day and comes back without saying anything. I swear he has this audacity—Forget it, I don’t want to talk about it.” San shook his head in dismay and continued minding his own business. 

“Shouldn’t we check up on him?” Yungwoo questioned in concern “He just came back after hours of being soaked in the rain.” 

“I doubt that he’d want that, but you can go ahead,” San said, indirectly giving Yungwoo permission and assurance that he can go and give his new boss a little bit of needed comfort. 

Inhaling a deep breath, Yungwoo mustered up the courage to stand on his feet and march his way to where Yeonjun was. But then, he takes a few steps backwards and out of confusion, he asked “May I know where Yeonjun-shi's room is located?” 

“Just three rooms away from here, to the left.” San directed casually with a smile. 

“Okay, thank you.” Yungwoo smiled along with San, politely bowing towards him before going out of the lobby to search for Yeonjun’s room. 

\-- 

Yeonjun sat on his chair, not bothering to move a muscle. Just inhaling in small ounces of air so that he wouldn’t appear as a dead statue once someone has the guts to come in his room. He just felt inexplicably lonely, even though the feeling of being alone wasn’t anything new to him. He just can never get used to the feeling of it, for he knew the feeling of being in love, being in someone’s arms, being so close to someone you feel like you can never pull yourself away from that person. You can’t bear standing far away from that person. Yeonjun loved that feeling too much, to the point that he couldn’t let go of it. It lingers within him, makes him needy, makes him crave for that touch that he knows he might never obtain. 

Whilst riding his train of thoughts, a knock bestowed upon his door, making him snap and engage in the fact that this is the reality that he lives in. 

“May I come in?” A voice too familiar to him asked from the other side of the door. 

Yeonjun hesitated whether to let him or not. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to face him again, his face brings back too much pain, too many memories, too much nostalgia. Like the coward that he is, he can never face anything or anyone that links to his past. He is simply too scared, fearing the pain that might overwhelm him if he does. 

“Yeonjun-shi? May I come in?” Yungwoo repeats his question, wondering why Yeonjun is shutting him away for some apparent reason that he’s not aware of “Please allow me to check up on you. You were out in the rain; I just want to check if you’re okay or not. Please open the door...” 

Yeonjun’s eyes spark up, eyes slowly becoming watery as he heard Yungwoo’s words of concern about him, pleading for him to open the door. It hurt that he cared, but like in the same way as he did before. 

“Fine, you won’t open the door? Then I will.” Yeonjun didn’t know how he did it, but Yungwoo broke the door open, dragging in a serving trolley that held a bowl of water with huge chunks of ice, a towel, and a thermometer in hand “Yeonjun-shi, I don’t care if you’re immortal or whatever, but please do prioritize your health. You cannot just walk for hours drenched in rain and come back without giving a single damn about your body.” 

“Why do you care? Did I ask you to care about me? Besides, I’m better off dead, so what’s wrong with getting a little bit of flu?” Provoked, Yeonjun snapped at Yungwoo, who was clearly stunned by the words he had just heard. 

“Why do you choose to treat yourself this way? Why do you hold so much anger within yourself?” Yungwoo queried, voice almost broken due to uprising tears. 

“I just do. You wouldn’t understand why.” Yeonjun gnarled clearly angered “Leave, now.” 

With fingers curled up into a fist, Yungwoo left, rather heartbroken and disappointed at the sight of his boss. He sighed, thinking that he just made things worse for him. Yungwoo walks away and goes back to his spot, next to San. 

“I’m guessing it didn’t go well.” San chuckled lightly; he could sense Yungwoo’s expression without even looking at him “Yeonjun isn’t an easy person to manage. His shell is as hard as a rock, yet he gets broken so easily. Even the tiniest, irrelevant things remind him of his pain.” 

“What is his pain exactly? What hurts him?” Yungwoo asked, eyes and tone filled with worry. 

“That, I don’t know,” San simply sighed “But I do know it happened a long time ago. Despite knowing him for almost a century, I still know almost nothing about him. Same case with the rest of the crew. Yeonjun refuses to speak about his past and his pain, and we respect that. Let’s not cross his boundaries.” 

Yungwoo nodded in understanding “Okay then.” 

\-- 

Yeonjun grabbed his phone that was dangling in his miserable pocket and quickly dialed a number in his phone. It ringed three times, no response. He tried again, and finally his call was answered. 

“What the hell, Kangs? What are you trying to do? Torture me?” Yeonjun screamed at his phone, letting his rage out towards the other people on the other side of the phone. 

“I see you’ve met him.” Yeonjun could evidently hear Taehyun cackling, which fueled his anger “It was Yeosang’s idea, I just simply agreed with it.” 

“And why the hell did you fucking agree? You out of all people are the ones who know my pain. Do you intend to worsen it?” Yeonjun spoke in absolute outrage “I’m still not over him, the pain is still there.” 

“Stop being a wuss, It’s for your own good.” Yeosang scolded, annoyed “You’ve been like this for 500 years, Jun. It’s about time you start facing things and move on. Don’t be pathetic, or you’ll never get your job done.” 

Yeonjun shut his eyes and inhaled a sharp breath “I’ll get better if I want to get better. Stop barging in for Pete's sake. You better find me a new waiter tomorrow or I’ll come up there myself.” 

“We’re not replacing him. He’s the only one available.” Taehyun stated, “Goodbye, for now, we have souls to collect.” 

The call ended without another word spoken. Frustrated, Yeonjun smashed his phone down on the table, not caring if he broke the screen, he can always buy a new one anyway. 

\-- 

“Agh, I’m so bored.” Mingi groaned, sloppily sitting down on one of the couches. 

“I know, right? Not a single person has come in for almost a week. Did Yeonjun close the store or what?” Yunho agreed, sitting down his chair and placing his hand under his chin, annoyed by the amount of boredom he was feeling “Should we do something...fun?” 

Mingi’s eyes perked up and mischievously made eye contact with Yunho’s “Are we thinking the same thing?” 

But before the both of them could even plan out another prank to pull, the doorbell rings, signifying that a person has entered their club. Instinctively, the two employees stand up to greet their customer—who wore a worn-out expression on her face. 

“Hello Ma’am, welcome to Lovesick Club.” Yunho welcomed with a bow and a friendly smile. 

“Can I get a drink?” The middle-aged lady replied with a sunken tone. Mingi could sense her heartache, he was quick to resonate with her pain and flash eyes filled with pity. 

“She’s troubled, I can feel it,” Mingi whispered to Yunho. 

“Call the others, I’ll bring her to the lobby.” Yunho instructed Mingi, who quickly followed his orders and went along “Follow me, Ma’am. I’ll give you plenty of drinks.” 

“Thank you, young man.” The middle-aged lady forced a smile on her face and kindly followed Yunho to the elevator, where he brought her all the way to the main lobby despite her being distraught by her thoughts. 

Yeonjun came in rushing inside the room, where he made eye contact with Yungwoo before quickly turning away “Welcome, Ma’am. I hope you enjoy your stay here.” 

“Thank you, dear.” The middle-aged lady thanked and took a seat on one of the bar seats with Mingi’s assistance. 

“You can tell us your problems, Ma’am. We’re here to listen, feel free to take your time.” Mingi assured her with a kind smile, sitting on the barstool beside her whilst Yunho sat on the other. 

“This is your first time on the job, so you don’t have to do anything. You can just observe and watch how we do things.” San quietly told Yungwoo, who was helping him make the drink that their customer needed “When we make drinks, we don’t just add certain beverages into a cup, we take a look towards the customer and detect what kind of drink they prefer. I’ll teach you how to do that soon enough, you’ll get the hang of it easily, now pass me the whiskey.” 

Yungwoo obeyed and passed the bottle of whiskey to San, who quickly poured a tiny shot of it into the mixture and began shaking the cup, then beautifully serving it in a wine glass for their customer to enjoy. 

“Do we always add whiskey to the drinks?” Yungwoo queried. 

“Yes, it’s a needed factor.” San answered “Why? Because it helps the customers pass out quickly. We give much stronger alcohol to those with high alcohol tolerance. And once they’re peacefully knocked out, we get to read their memories so that we’re able to identify the needed details to sort our customer’s problem.” 

“Okay,” Yungwoo replied. 

“But the question is, are you ready?” San questioned intently “Are you ready to face our customer’s memories? Some memories can be gruesome to handle, are you sure you can handle those?” 

“Yes.” Yungwoo said bravely “I can handle it. I’m not a wuss,” 

“Great.” San smiled and gave him a thumbs up. But then they hear a thud, only to see that their current customer is now passed out cold at the bar counter. 

“Now this is when the job starts.”


	11. Trauma

“I don’t know what to do.” Sunken, the woman continued gulping the drink down her throat, releasing a hiss due to the strong alcohol, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. “I don’t know if I can remain faithful anymore, I don’t know if I can hold on to him any longer.”

“Could it be?” Yunho whispered quietly to Mingi’s ear.

“I want a divorce, but that decision would lead to many obstacles if I wish to live a normal life.” The woman sighed, but sighing doesn’t make a difference to the weight of the burden that she holds within, somehow, it just makes it seem heavier. “Being a woman doesn’t make it easier either, living with a uterus inside of me doesn’t hold any advantage in life.”

San felt like laughing, but now didn’t really seem like the right time to bust out a chuckle. Yungwoo held himself back from laughing too, but seeing San holding his laughter too wasn’t making things simpler. But professionalism must be maintained in situations like this, so they inhaled deep breaths and kept their composure.

“We weren’t a perfect couple, but I’ve never loved someone like how I love him.” The woman confessed, close to her breaking point, her eyes were visibly tired, she’s probably cried endless nights filled with tears, “I drove by the suburbs, and I saw him kissing that blonde neighbor of mine whom I’ve always doubted whenever she stepped near him.”

“It’s a divorce case, these ones are difficult to manage,” San told Yungwoo, who nodded in understanding as they watched the woman break down, pain visible in every inch of her body, Yungwoo’s heart ached for her, the heartbreak she was feeling made him feel the will to help her, to rid her of her pain and see her live and abandon the man she loved and the tears she shed for such an unworthy man.

“But I still love him, despite knowing that he’s hooking up with another woman...in our 10 years of marriage, I noticed how he was quick to fall out of love with me, it made me wonder...if I was ever enough for him...” After she spoke those words, her consciousness began to slip away, and soon enough she passed out, head resting on the bar table, tears still exiting her eyes despite them being closed.

“This is why I hate people who cheat, it infuriates my entire being,” Yeonjun mumbled, close to chanting out curses out of anger, yet he didn’t want to since his feelings of pity for the woman dominated him rather than the raging emotion of anger.

“Why do they even feel to find someone else when they already have a person who loves them more than they could imagine?” Yungwoo questioned, arms crossed as he scoffed thinking about the man that the woman was talking about.

“What are you waiting for? Check her memories, Yeonjun.” San directed quickly towards Yeonjun, who then proceeded to place both his palms onto the head of the passed-out lady, shutting his eyes in order to harness the energy to bring out the memories from the unconscious woman.

…

_Everything was beautiful, the flowers that decorated the aisle, the color of the dress she was wearing, the scenery of the place accompanied with slashes of pink and white hung across the walls, but it was also pressuring, having the eyes of others as she stands in front of the door, unsure if she should step forward, making eye contact with the man she’s loved for years, smiling at her. Suddenly, she feels carefree, she feels assured once she looks at her soon-to-be-husband. There, she knew that he was the one she wanted for eternity._

_Courageously, she took a step forward, and the people smiled. So, with a smile, she went on, she walked and stood beside her loving boyfriend, who took off the veil that was covering her face. She stared at the man with the most loving eyes. She loved the sight of his gorgeous brown doe eyes, his plump lips, the way his hair was slicked back, the way he smiled once they made eye contact, how their hands were interlocked, a perfect match, a perfect pair. They looked at each other as if they were each other’s universes, it was truly evident that they loved each other._

_So why? Why did the other lose that feeling? Why did his feelings fade when he knew that his wife loved him so much? Why bother sharing vows to one another when those vows would end up being broken? Why live with one another when the other would end up thinking about someone else as they lie on the same bed?_

_How ironic. Love itself is ironic. Did it even exist between them or was it just forced? The idea of falling in love means falling down on an endless pit of feelings, hoping that the other will catch you. The person you love catches you, and everything suddenly feels like heaven, you feel like you’re floating, but you’re just in a constant daze of what is called infatuation. Yes, you have each other, you rely on one another to keep yourselves stable, you find solace through that person, you seek love and care from that person, now that is when you truly fall in love. But what happens when the other falls out of love? Simple, he lets go, and you’re left behind, constantly falling over and over again, not knowing when you will stop falling, but soon enough you hit the ground, the reality and the pain comes through and you get hurt._

_Why fall when you know you’re going to get hurt? You never know, you just do._

_And that was the case for this woman, who fell in love and got hurt in the end._

_And so, she drove past the suburbs, the lighthearted feeling in her chest as she observes the breathtaking scenery of beautiful houses and gardens inside them, it gave her a sense of serenity. But slowly, her heart begins to break as she stumbles upon a sight she should’ve never seen. The sight of her so-called ‘loving husband’ touching the lips of another woman. And it seemed like he was...in love. She remembered how he used to look at her like that, how he kissed her with so much love, how he cherished her as if she were the most precious thing on earth. She falls apart upon the realization that that title now belongs to someone else._

_Heartbroken, she drove back home and with sunken eyes, stares at the computer, not having the energy to move her fingers, so they began to tremble. The tears came, and so she cried a river, not knowing what to do, confused about what to do with her feelings, distraught and ashamed, having to experience all of those feelings at once took an obvious toll on her._

_The risks of getting a divorce, there were too many. Considering that his husband was the money maker in their household and owns almost everything she owns, filing a divorce would mean that she would be left with nothing, that was a huge problem. If only she had never loved this man in the first place._

…

And now she’s here, unconscious as she’s unable to deal with a broken heart.

“So, what do we do? It’s obviously going to be hard for her if they get a divorce, she’ll be left with nearly nothing.” Yunho queried, biting his nails due to nervousness.

“Meaningless things can be left behind if it means having to heal a broken heart. The utmost priority is herself; she needs to stand up for herself and become stronger, only then will she be able to fend for herself. A woman is better off without a man holding her back.” Yeonjun advised wisely, removing his palms from the woman’s head, leaving her to rest peacefully.

“You have a point.” Yunho pointed out, agreeing with Yeonjun’s words of wisdom.

“So, what do we do?” Mingi asked “Should we give the husband the karma he deserves?”

“No, we’ll do that later, once the divorce gets settled.” Yeonjun replied “Let’s not rush karma, it’ll come to him soon enough.”

“So, what are we going to do?” Yungwoo quietly queried his thought to San.

“Divorce cases ae hard to handle, since it involves having to deal with laws, court and all that, and since we’re not allowed to meddle too much with human affairs, what we simply do is help the troubled along the sidelines. In the end, it all depends on the person, we’re just here to support them along the way.” San elucidated thoroughly, smiling at the sight of Yungwoo’s eyes that sparkled with curiosity.

“Oh, is that so...but what happens if we cross the boundaries?” Yungwoo added another question, looking intently towards San’s eyes.

“Well, we’d get punished, but things would be worse for Yeonjun. He’d have to face the wrath of the Gods.” Replied San, trying to keep their conversation discreet or else Yeonjun will become suspicious.

But little did he know that Yeonjun was already eyeing them from the start, fury began boiling within him as their gazes connected. How San smiled once he stared at Yungwoo, and how they were talking like year-old best friends, even though they’ve only met for a day. It ignited a flame of jealousy within him and he was well aware of it, but who was he to him to have the right to be jealous? Sure, they were lovers in the past. Sure, they shared kisses and cuddles before, but all of that was now irrelevant when he was the only one who remembered such memories.

When the things he felt during those memories only lingered on him. He felt frustrated and unfair that he was the only one going through this pain, but he just came to the conclusion that fate just works that way. That the heavens hate him and chose to make him suffer just by merely living, by loving, by existing.

Besides, he was used to all of it. Somehow, the pain was evident, but also numb.

“Mingi, Yunho, you guys handle the lady. I’ll set off to find the husband and his mistress, and the both of you,” Yeonjun pointed towards the whispering duo behind the bar counter “Stop gossiping about me and do a background search on her and the husband as well, and if you can—prepare her divorce papers, it’ll make things easier. We all have until the end of the day to get all this work finished, so get to it.”

“Noted.” Yungwoo replied cheerfully, but his smile dropped as he watched Yeonjun leave without another word, and in such a cold manner too “Why does he keep giving me the cold shoulder?”

“I’m going to need to buy more whiskey after this. He’s so moody nowadays, it’s honestly annoying.” San gritted his teeth at the last phrase, sighing upon having to witness Yeonjun’s unreasonable behavior for the nth time “And does he have dog ears or what? How did he hear us whispering about him?”

“I think he has heightened senses, so we must be wary at all times, even now.” Yungwoo joked, but it was half-meant...or not? It depends.

“Okay, with all seriousness, we should go and do our task, I don’t want another rant coming out of Yeonjun’s mouth.” San walks over to the jacket stand displayed near the door and grabbed his coat, wrapping his arms and about half of the entirety of his figure.

“Let’s go,” Wooyoung grabbed his coat that was laying on the sofa he sat at earlier before the ‘disaster’ happened.

\--

The streets of Yongsan-dong were beautiful indeed, just like how the lady described when Yeonjun read his memories. But then again, beautiful things do hold the most painful of memories. How bitter, Yeonjun thought to himself as he walked further, passing by house after house, looking for a particular couple.

Yeonjun himself knew how painfully pretty some beautiful things were, oh he knew it well, it was obvious, too obvious.

Yeonjun’s search was over as he stumbled upon a familiar-looking beige painted house, and through the huge windows that the house had, Yeonjun spotted the incautious couple making out in their kitchen counter. It was a sloppy sight to see, especially he knows things that he’s not supposed to know about them.

“How disgusting, ugh.” Yeonjun felt like puking, as the sight of seeing a husband and a mistress making out wasn’t exactly his cup of tea.

Grossed out, Yeonjun turned around from the sight and grabbed his phone hanging in his jean pocket and dialed San’s number “Hey, have you found info about the husband? I need something to blackmail him with.”

“Uhm let’s see, according to his records in the library, he’s committed countless cases of sexual assault and has imprisoned over three innocent people. This man is disgusting, might as well send him to prison once they get a proper divorce.” San reported, holding various documents in hand on the other side of the phone.

“Sexual Assault?” Abhorred, Yeonjun shut his eyes out of pure disgust. Those words were like a huge trigger warning to him. He could never handle having to hear those words, or anything related to it without remembering those traumatizing scenes that happened in his past.

Yeonjun paused. The pain, the memories, the agony, the fear, Yeonjun began to feel it all again. He never wanted to reminisce how those feelings felt like in a rush, but the universe just had to make him go through it again. Screams, his own screams, they began to echo in his head. Voices, they began whispering. The sound of whips, chains, cackles, and sobs, it all echoed in his head.

“No... stop...” Yeonjun whispered in a weak voice, hands trembling, voice cracking “M-Make it go away... please...”

“Yeonjun?” San’s voice called out from the phone “What’s wrong?” Yeonjun ran. He ran and he ran. He didn’t know why he ran, he just had to. A little adrenaline rush would help getting rid of torturous thoughts developing in his head, right?

“Make the thoughts stop, make it stop...” Tears, they began to fall from Yeonjun’s cheeks. He whimpered, he felt like a fool, a coward. A pathetic piece of crap with too much trauma.

“Yeonjun-ah, what’s happening?” A soft voice, definitely wasn’t San’s—came out from the speaker of Yeonjun’s phone. That voice, that soothing voice alone was enough to make the soul-eating thoughts and make Yeonjun halt “Are you alright?”

Breathe, that was all Yeonjun did, all he focused on at this moment. It was hard to come in peace with himself once again, but a little composure was all he needed “I... I’m okay...”

“What just happened? Are you sure you’re okay?” It was Yungwoo, that soft, soothing, comforting voice belonged from Yungwoo. The hints of worry in his tone were audible, and oh so suddenly it made Yeonjun’s heart ache in pain.

Why, why is he feeling this way? Yeonjun asked himself. He bluntly told himself that he shouldn’t be holding any sort of feelings for Yungwoo. But somehow, he would always end up disobeying those terms.

“Hand the phone to San.” Yeonjun ordered sharply, as if nothing happened, as if he didn’t nearly have a breakdown. He fully went back to his strict and bossy persona in just a matter of seconds.

“Oh, okay...” Yungwoo obeyed politely, though he was kind of disappointed, he knew there were lies in Yeonjun’s words.

“What happened back there? Were you...crying?” San queried “You better not lie, Yeonjun, both of us heard you screaming... And you never scream.”

“It was nothing, just a dog.” Yeonjun lied, it was a pretty obvious one though.

“We heard no barking.” San retorted back.

“Just ignore what happened, please.” Yeonjun begged, sincerely “Just pretend you didn’t hear anything, I don’t want to talk about it.”

San just sighed, giving up was the only option as he knew Yeonjun would never even say anything about it no matter how many times he would ask “Fine, whatever.”

“Thanks,” San found it pretty rare for Yeonjun to say those words, which explains the look of shock in his face upon hearing those words come out from Yeonjun’s mouth “Now enlighten me, how can a man who’s committed countless cases of... Sexual assault—free from charges and not in jail?”

“Connections with the Police, he also works as a Lawyer, so it’s understandable why the authorities would let him get away with it.” San added, also trying to pretend that nothing had just happened earlier “This man is a whole criminal; his records are filthy. We need to find a competent lawyer who can manage their case. We possibly can’t work on this, because if we do, it’ll last for months.”

“I know, I’m aware...my deadline is near, it’d be impossible to continue handling this. What do we do?” It was a heavy feeling indeed, this problem was too risky for him to handle, but then again, risky is his middle name “Should we use the magnifying glass?”

( **The Magnifying Glass is an instrument that can scan various documents that hold the life stories and events that a human being holds. Its specific purpose is to find hidden evidences—mostly from those who’ve committed crimes—by using the Magnifying Glass, they will be able to find pieces of evidence that human cops haven’t been able to acquire whilst investigating the given case and transform them into soft or hard copies that can be used in court)**

“What’s the Magnifying Glass?” Yungwoo asked on the other line, Yeonjun just rolled his eyes upon hearing San chuckle at him and say—

“Don’t worry, I’ll share the details with you later, Woo.” Yeonjun’s ears perked at the familiar nickname San called Yungwoo.

“Woo?” Yeonjun questioned, chest swelling up with some sort of pain he could barely decipher “So you have nicknames with one another now?”

“Yeah, he agreed that I can call him Woo, and I agreed that he can call me Sannie. Why do you ask?” San answered innocently and Yeonjun could only bite his lip in frustration “Do you perhaps want a nickname too?”

“No, I don’t.” Yeonjun ended the call abruptly and shoved his phone back in his pocket and huffed out an annoyed sigh “How... how can they have nicknames with each other? It hasn’t even been 24 hours since they’ve met. Wait, why am I letting this get into my head? Besides, they’re just friends. I shouldn’t care about this; his life isn’t any of my business anymore.”

\--

“Finished!” Mingi exclaimed in a tiny voice after successfully erasing the woman’s memory of stepping inside their club, though it would be advantageous to have just erased her memories of his cheating husband, but doing that would lead to many complications.

“Poor lady, she doesn’t deserve to suffer all of that. Her faithfulness was thrown to waste.” Yunho sighed in dismay as he looked at the sleeping woman with pitiful eyes “People shouldn’t suffer because of their unfaithful spouses. Humans are the most undecipherable beings on earth, you never know what they truly want.”

“I know right, they’re so confusing. Could never be me.” Mingi scoffed almost mockingly.

“Heh, right.” Yunho rolled his eyes and went along with his partner’s words.

“What? I’m right.” Mingi crossed his arms and pouted in a cute manner, making Yunho chuckle. But the way Yunho looked at Mingi, oh his eyes told it all, but Mingi was blind to see it. After all, he was straight, so painfully straight that it hurt Yunho.

“Whatever floats your boat, Mingi.” Yunho turned his gaze away from Mingi and sighed. It was a burdensome feeling to hold, his friendship with Mingi was something he always cherished, and he didn’t want to risk that for his petty feelings of romance.

“How is she doing?” San whispered as he slowly opened the door, hand clutched onto Yungwoo’s wrist as they entered the room “Wait, Yeonjun hasn’t arrived yet?”

“Nope, I guess he’s still looking for the husband.” Yunho responded, also unaware of Yeonjun’s whereabouts. “If he were still looking, then he would’ve asked me for the husband’s address.” Implied San

“I think he already found the couple...those ear-screeching sounds in the background were too evident.”

“I thought I was the only one who heard that.” Yungwoo cracked out a high-pitched laugh. San was quick to shush him off as he remembered the fact that the lady was still sound asleep

“Oh, I apologize. I forgot...”

“It’s okay, it happens sometimes.” San assured with a smile, once again showing off his cute dimples “Speaking of Yeonjun, the strangest thing just happened to him today..."

As the four of them were gathered in the hospital room, Yeonjun had just arrived at the building, he’s considered the latecomer after all. It was valid since he had a reason for his shortcomings.

He paused in his tracks, remaining in the spot that he was standing at, inhaling a deep breath, slowly opening his mouth “Yah Beomgyu, get your ass in here!”

“If you’re going to summon me, at least summon me the proper way, you indecisive fool.” Beomgyu sneered, his voice was still audible even though his presence wasn’t present yet “It’s not going to work unless you call out to me the proper way.”

“Please, you’re just making an excuse to mock me. I’m not doing that shit again, Beomgyu. I’ve had enough, give me a break.” Yeonjun groaned, not having the energy and willpower to even continue on.

“Yeah, no. Your suffering is like fuel to the burning fire within me.” Beomgyu said, sarcastically.

“Oh, shut up.” Yeonjun winced, contemplating the decisions he’s made to have bought him to where he is now “Fine, I’ll do it. Fucking motherfucker—”

“Now that’s how I like it.” Beomgyu cackled, sounds of clapping were echoing around the place and that might’ve infuriated Yeonjun even more.

Yeonjun closed his eyes shut, knowing that he’s going to regret the words that will come out of his mouth “Door to the Fairy Realm, I expand, I call out to thy fairies of this realm...” Beomgyu’s laughs echo in the air as he knows what about to happen, he couldn’t wait to hear it and laugh over it for the nth time.

“Fairy Beomgyu, I choose you!” And poof, there appeared Beomgyu in front of Yeonjun’s eyes, trying his best to stifle out a laugh from coming out of his lips.

“Quit laughing, you bastard.” Yeonjun scolded, hiding his embarrassment. Oh, how he just wanted to disappear at that moment, how he wished to exchange Beomgyu for another fairy that might just be more competent than Beomgyu is.

“Anyway,” Beomgyu finally spoke after calming down “Why did you summon me?”

“I have something to ask of you...” Yeonjun said, “Well, more like a favor.”

“Interesting, go ahead,” Beomgyu instructed with a hand signal, telling him to proceed with what he had to say.

“I need access to the Magnifying Glass.”

“You need what? Yeonjun? Are you trying to get yourself stripped off of the rights as the owner of your club? Your body will disintegrate the moment they strip you of your rights.” Beomgyu warned, visibly worried for Yeonjun “Not only you, but the rest of the staff will also lose their rights too, they’ll be forced to go to the afterlife with regrets. Yeonjun, you’re being selfish, what you’re trying to make me do is too risky.”

“I know, I’m aware. Trust me, I got this.” Yeonjun made certain of it. But Beomgyu didn’t know whether to trust him or not, he knew how Yeonjun can be so careless at some situations “Besides, you’re under my contract, you’re supposed to do whatever I tell you to do.”

“But I have every right to reject you.” Beomgyu fought back “Think about the consequences, Yeonjun. You’re putting everyone at risk just for one case? Is it that important?”

“I can’t stand having to know people who suffered from the same problems as I did are forced to shut up about it and keep quiet. I just want to help them, is that a problem?” Yeonjun almost choked out a cry, reminiscing those horrible, blood-irking, fear-filled moments, he would know, he was a victim too “Just help me out, I’ll pay for the consequences.”

Beomgyu huffed out a frustrated sigh “Fine, I’ll do it... And will you bake me cookies?”

“Fine, I’ll bake you cookies, I’ll bake cookies for everyone.” Yeonjun agreed and Beomgyu’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Deal.”


End file.
